Consequences
by AceJaegar2210
Summary: Salem took everything from him. She killed his family. She killed his friends. He was to be her weapon against the Maidens, the Silver Eyes, and Ozpin, but he escaped. Now, he wants revenge. He will take the second chance he was given, and do everything he failed to accomplish the first time. He will avenge those he lost and protect those he cares about. But who is the true enemy?
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**A/N: So, I've had the idea for this story floating around my head for a while. I have changed a few things from canon. First, yes... this is an OC based story. I will incorporate the OC into the RWBY story line, but will obviously given them a flushed out past that starts before the canon material. I want to use the OC as a way of altering the story and diving into different themes the canon established. I plan on expanding on the existing characters in ways that I think would best fit the story and adding scenes that will have spoilers all the way up to Volume 5. RWBY is one of my favorite series, but even I can admit that there are a few things that could be flushed out a bit better, so I will be using information from the World of Remnant series and RWBY wiki to explore some parts of Remnant the canon material doesn't really get into. If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, please leave me a comment or send me a me know what you guys think of the story. I plan on posting the first few chapters of this story pretty quickly, so I can get to the canon timeline as quickly as possible.**

 **Chapter 1 - The Beginning**

The night was cold, unbelievably so. It was colder than Qrow or Summer had ever experienced. They were covered from head-to-toe in cloaks to keep warm, but they were still freezing in the howling winds and blankets of snow falling overhead.

"Why did Ozpin have to send us out here tonight of all nights?" Summer asked through her facemask. She was shivering as she watched the small outpost below her. A few mask men moved around crates of weapons and dust, but it was hard to get a good look at them from atop the mountain Summer and Qrow were perched on.

The snow partnered with their white gear made them undetectable. They muttered to each other, coming up with a plan of attack.

"They are getting ready to move," Summer said over the howling wind, "If we don't strike tonight, we will lose our one lead on Salem."

Qrow nodded as he saw a few guards funnel into a room that lead underground.

"What do you think we should do?" Qrow asked, "We have 24 hostiles above ground and an unknown amount underground. I think we should wait until they are-"

Qrow was interrupted by a massive pillar of fire that erupted from underneath the base like a volcano.

Summer and Qrow had to shield their eyes as the pillar of flaming gold turned snow to steam in an instant. They felt the warmth of the fire from over 200 yards away. They looked up to see the pillar of fire reach up to the heavens, unlike anything they had ever seen.

"What the hell is that?" Qrow asked angrily, but his teammate didn't respond. Her gaze was fixed on the child that crawled out of the hole created by the pillar. He had tanned skin and hair that was as white as the snow around him, but his most prominent features were his eyes. They burned gold, just like the fire that erupted moments ago.

"He's woken up!" One of the guards yelled as he aimed a dust rifle at the child. The boy's eyes shifted to the man before he vanished, only making a weird sound that cut through the air like butter.

The Huntsman and Huntress overhead watched in horror as the boy appeared in front of the guard that yelled out to the other and plunged a lightning covered palm into the man's chest.

The boy's clothes were practically rags, covered in bloodstains and mostly torn to ribbons. His body was covered in grotesque scars, and the snow would melt upon touching his skin. His body was frail, he was obviously malnourished, but they didn't have timed to worry about that now. He pulled his arm out of the gaping wound in the man's chest and with one swoop, flung off almost all the blood that previously coated his arm. The boy's face had on an emotionless mask as he turned to a nearby building and appeared in front of the door.

"What is that power?" Qrow asked in shock as he watched the boy's right hand engulf in the same golden flames they saw a moment ago. He rose his hand up to the door and blasted it off its hinges before entering the building. Screams and the crackling of lightning could be heard by the pair on the mountain above.

"I-I don't know…" Summer stuttered in horror as she watched a heavily wounded man crawl out of the burnt down doorway. He left a heavy trail of red on the white snow, until a sword shot out of the building the boy was in and buried itself to the hilt in the back of the man's head.

The sword was a thin katana-like blade, pitch-black in color. The hilt and butt of the sword were gold, as well as the fabric that wrapped around the handle.

The same boy from before walked out into the courtyard again, carrying a sword identical to the one that was thrown, to see a group of men aiming guns at him. He walked up to the body with his sword in it, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Ace!" A guard barked, "Return to your cell immediately! This has gone far enough!"

The boy looked up revealing teary eyes to Summer and Qrow. The pair could almost feel the misery in those tortured gold eyes. It was unlike anything the pair had felt before, but just from a look, they knew this child had been through hell.

"No," The boy said softly, "I made a promise…"

With that, the boy vanished, and appeared in between two guards. With a flick of his wrists, their heads left their bodies and two geysers of red erupted from their necks. The boy did not falter. As soon as his blade removed the first two heads, he appeared in front of another guard and cut him in half at the waist.

Summer and Qrow watched in horror as the boy went from target to target, cutting down every guard in the area. Some of the guard tried to shoot at the boy, but he would just vanish, and their bullets would hit other guards or miss horribly.

Some of the guards tried to run, but the boy would just appear and kill them too.

Eventually, the initial forty guards were reduced to a group of six terrified men pissing themselves as the boy was nowhere to be seen.

Qrow and Summer looked around for the boy, until they felt a massive wave of heat above them.

"Burn…" The boy's voice was the calm before the storm. His extended hands came down, releasing a ball of fire, nearly fifty feet in diameter.

The men looked up in stunned terror as the golden fire fell on them like the wrath of an angry god.

 **BOOOOOM**

Summer and Qrow covered their faces as the fireball met the ground and exploded in a massive wave of heat and light that turned snow to steam, and bodies to ash. The entire base was enveloped in a massive explosion that shook the very earth below them.

When the light cleared, Qrow looked up to see the boy's unconscious body falling back to the distant ground below. He flooded his muscles with Aura and jumped towards the boy, catching him before landing in the center of the burning crater the boy left behind.

"Shit!" Qrow muttered as he dropped the boy's limp body. He looked down and saw that the fabric around his arms was charred and his skin was blistering. The boy's body felt like a coal fresh put of a fire. He heard Summer land behind him and rush to make sure he was okay. As soon as Qrow's arms started to heal, she made her way towards the unconscious boy.

The temperature in the center of the crater was well over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and a welcome alternative to the subzero weather they had been pelted with for the last few hours.

"Just what the hell is this kid?" Qrow asked bluntly, looking around at what used to be the outpost they were supposed to assault. There weren't even ruins of buildings left behind by the last attack. All trace of the base that previously occupied this area was incinerated in the golden flames the boy produced, "How can he do all of that?"

Summer looked down at the boy, before slowly trying to approach him. She saw the horrible scars on the boy's arms and exposed chest. Summer didn't understand how he could've lived through some of these injuries, but now wasn't the time to gawk at the boy's scars. She pulled down her facemask and lowered herself to a knee. She slowly offered the back of her hand and checked the boy's forehead like she did when Ruby and Yang had a fever. While he was still very warm, he was no longer scolding to the touch.

"I'm not sure," Summer said softly as she checked the boys pulse. His heart rate was well over 200, but seemed to be rapidly slowing as well, "We should take him to Oz, maybe he will have an idea who the boy is."

Qrow gave Summer a questioning look. Summer's sad silver eyes met Qrow's blood red orbs and the man sighed. He could never say no to her, even when they were at Beacon.

"Fine, but you're carrying him," Qrow looked down at his blistered skin, "The little bastard already burnt me."

Summer Rose smiled at her teammate before picking up the boy and setting him on her back. She gave Qrow a nod, and the pair left for their designated rendezvous point.

 **Some Time Later**

Ace opened his eyes and saw nothing but white. The floors, ceiling, bed he was currently in, were all the same color as he now clean hair.

 _"Where am I?"_ Ace thought as he looked around the room. He saw that he was on a bed with a few cables and tubes attached to him. It was different than he had experienced. He felt the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose and put together one thing.

 _"That witch never bothered knocking me out before she experimented on me…"_ Ace tried to sit up, but felt an unbearable soreness in his body, _"Where the hell am I?"_

Ace sat in silence for a few minutes listening to the beeping of the machine that monitored his pulse and blood pressure. He stared at the door in front of him and decided to wait for someone to enter.

 _"I barely remember a thing,"_ Ace thought as he moved his fingers slightly, even the slightest of movements sent pain coursing through his body, _"I guess I escaped…"_

Ace was pulled from his thoughts when the door in front of him opened, revealing four people he had never seen before.

The first one to enter was a tall, skinny man with white hair and brown eyes. He had on a black suit and a green scarf. In his hand was a cup, but its contents were unknown to Ace. The man eyed Ace every step of the way, and Ace immediately could tell that whoever this man was, he wasn't normal. A chill ran down Ace's spine as his heartrate quickened.

The woman to the first man's right, had short, dark-red hair, pale skin, and a white cloak that hid the rest of her features. She did have piercing silver eyes that met Ace's burning gold for a few seconds before the boy looked at the other two in the room.

To the first man's left, there was a very tall woman with glasses and blonde hair. She had her hair pulled back and wore a white blouse and black pants. She had a purple cape that went a little below her waist but was split into a number of separate endings that flowed behind her as she walked.

The last man stood behind the first three and was drinking from a silver flask. He had a pretty heavy hunch but seemed like he was ready for anything. He was the only one carrying a weapon, a short sword that rested on the small of his back, and eyed Ace from the moment he stepped in the room.

Ace tried to sit up, but his body racked with pain and he collapsed back onto the bed. The woman with silver eyes immediately shot to his side as if she were worried about him.

"Please, just rest," The woman said softly, "It seems like you've been through a lot."

Ace just eyed her for a second, before laying back down.

"Hello, young man," The white-haired man said with a smile, "My name is Ozpin. I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Would you mind telling me your name?"

Ace reached up to his face and slowly pulled off the oxygen mask.

"Ace," He managed weakly, before coughing a few times.

"Well, Mr. Ace," Ozpin said as he made his way to the boy's right, "I would say you are definitely fitting of the name."

Ace gave the boy a confused look before Ozpin pulled up footage of what happened a few days ago. He turned the tablet to Ace, so the boy could see what he did from Summer and Qrow's persepctive.

"I am a little surprised to say the least," Ozpin said offhandedly, "Though, you at least seem to be on our side, or at the very least, not hers."

Ace clenched his fist at the mention of Salem. His left hand crackled with a few sparks while Ace's right hand began to glow gold.

"Easy there," The woman to Ace's left said softly. She put a soft hand on Ace's left arm and for some reason, Ace felt immediately at ease. The gesture was motherly, but Ace had no memory of his life before Salem kidnapped him. He nothing to compare it to, "We are all friends here. It was actually me who carried you to our Bullhead when you passed out."

Ace gave the woman an odd look, before she realized what he was waiting for.

"Oh! I'm Summer, Summer Rose!" The woman offered, "It's nice to finally meet you Ace!"

Ace nodded before he looked at the last two in the room, obviously wanting their names as well.

"Glynda Goodwitch," The tall, blonde woman said bluntly. It was clear that the woman was skeptical of Ace, but she at least seemed to be more restrained than the last man in the room, who was rather obviously watching Ace from the background.

"Qrow," The hunched man said before taking another sip from his flask.

Ace nodded before he looked back at Ozpin.

"We brought you here for a number of reasons," Ozpin started, "First of which is information. We have no idea what Salem has planned, or why she had you. Can you fill us in at all?"

Ace looked at the man questioningly for a second.

 _"If this were one of Salem's tests, she wouldn't take it this far,"_ Ace thought. He looked down at the IV in his arm, _"She's never treated my wounds before. She just had Watts piece me back together, so I didn't die."_

"Is it safe to assume that you guys are against her?" Ace asked as he looked up at Ozpin. The Headmaster nodded. He offered a soft smile, but Ace could see through it. He knew that the man desperately wanted answers from Ace, but he was restraining himself for some reason.

"Salem and I, aren't necessarily friends," Ozpin said vaguely, getting a chuckle from Qrow.

"I don't know much," Ace said, "I've only remember two hideouts."

Ozpin nodded as he set the tablet that had the footage of Ace's fight to record.

"The first one I went to is my first memory," Ace said softly as he remembered being taken to Salem in chains by Tyrian, a crazy man with a scorpion tail, "They did something to me when I got there that made me forget what happened before I arrived. They were trying to experiment on children for some reason. I was only one of dozens that she held captive. Most died during the first round of experiments, but she took an interest in me for my Semblance."

Ozpin gave Ace and intrigued look. He sat in silence, waiting for the boy to continue.

"When she found out what my Semblance could do, she stopped almost all of her other experiments and focused on me," Ace muttered as he clenched his fist, "I can take another's Semblance and Aura and keep it for myself… At the cost of the initial user's life."

Ozpin dropped his cup as his eyes widened. Qrow nearly choked on his drink and Glynda looked terrified of Ace. Summer felt the sadness in the boy as she held his left hand comfortingly, she could tell there was more to the Semblance.

"She said the Semblances I take are more powerful if I am close to the person I'm taking it from," Ace said as his eyes turned glassy, "She forced me to kill my friends, so she could make me into a weapon…"

Ace let out a few tears as he remembered the friends who died so he could become stronger.

"That's horrifying," Glynda muttered as she saw the misery in the boy's eyes. She wanted to comfort him, but she was never really good at that kind of thing.

"My Semblance is called Legion," Ace said as he recalled the many conversations he had with Salem while she experimented on him, "She told me that I would be the end of the Maidens… What does that mean?"

Ozpin's eyes widened as he froze in place. He took a few steps back from Ace, obviously in shock.

"You're telling me that you can take a Maiden's powers?" Ozpin asked, ignoring the second part of what Ace said.

Ace just gave Ozpin a weird look.

"I-I don't know what a Maiden is," Ace said a little more forcefully, resulting in him erupting into a coughing fit. Ozpin visibly relaxed at the boy's words. He shared a look with the three others that were worried for a second.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ozpin said, though he didn't answer Ace's question, "Can you about the Semblances you've… acquired?"

Ace looked down for a second as a few tears fell down his face. Summer put her soft hand on his face and made him look up.

"It's okay now, Ace. You are safe now," She whispered softly, "How old are you?"

Ace wiped his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Nine," Ace muttered. There was a second that Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda looked at each other and shared a thought.

 _"What has kid gone through?"_

Summer smiled down at Ace.

"You're the same age as my daughter, Yang," Summer gently rubbed a finger over Ace's left hand, making Ace feel a warmth in his heart that he had never experienced before, "That happened isn't your fault, Ace. We want to help you, but you have to be honest with us…"

Ace looked down for a second.

"The… The fire was Ember's," Ace said barely above a whisper, "The Lightning w-was Spark's. And… And…"

Ace clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood. Summer moved her hand to the back of Ace's hands, but it was clear from the boy's choked back sobs, that the death of his friends still weighed heavy on him.

"Jade…" Ace's voice was barely a whisper as he looked at Summer, "She could teleport."

Ozpin thought in silence.

 _"From what I've seen in past Huntsmen,"_ Ozpin connected the dots, _"Any of those Semblances are extremely powerful on their own. If you put them all together…"_

Ozpin looked down at Ace and saw the scars on the boy's arms and peeking out of the collar of his hospital gown.

"How did you learn to use them?" Summer asked.

Ace explained that he would grow close to the children Salem brought in, then she would force him to steal their Semblance. He explained how she was able to take over Ace's mind.

"I would watch as she killed my friends with my own hands," Ace said as he looked down at his trembling hands, 'After taking each Semblance, she would teach me how to use them to an extent. She was careful not to teach me too much.

"Why were you at that outpost?" Qrow asked bluntly, "I wouldn't think that Salem would let someone like you out of arm's reach."

Ace made an effort to sit up again, and actually got to his elbows. His head spun for a second before he regathered his bearings. Summer held the boy's hand as she watched him with tears in her eyes. She could feel the misery that radiated from Ace like heat from a fire.

"I broke out," Ace muttered, "I figured out how to block her out and escaped. I tried to destroy the area where she researched on me, so she couldn't do anything with the information she gathered on my Semblance, but I had to stop before I could complete the task. Those guards found me and took me back to the base… They were taking me back to her and abandoning the base in case anyone followed me."

Qrow nodded and took another small sip from his flask. This whole situation was crazy, and he could tell that things would only get more complex from here.

"Where did you get these weapons?" Glynda said as she pulled out a tablet and show Ace a picture of his swords.

"There was a man that worked for Salem," Ace started, "She found out that his Semblance gave him solid metal bones, a hundred times harder than steel. She wanted me to take the Semblance at first, but she decided to just… kill him and make his bones into weapons."

Glynda's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth. She wanted to throw up. She had been the one to analyze the weapons when Summer and Qrow showed up. The idea of turning a man's bones into a weapon, then forcing a child to wield said weapon was demented.

Ozpin grimaced for a second before returning his gaze to Ace. The boy was shaking now, as guilt, sadness, and anger raged inside of him like a hurricane.

"I hate to keep this up," Ozpin said regretfully, "But what did she do to you?"

Ace started to shudder. Summer felt fear engulf the boy as he trembled. She pulled him into a hug, but it was like he didn't even notice.

"Sh-She would hurt me," Ace muttered, "I don't know how I survived it. She said it would make me stronger. Sh-She didn't w-want me to have emotions. She said they made me weak."

Ace's trembling intensified as he remembered the things Salem did to him. She tried to break his spirit, hoping to make him into a lifeless husk that did whatever she wanted. He would be her strongest pawn.

"She would hurt me, for days at a time," Ace unconsciously covered his body like he would when Salem would come to his cell. He was too valuable to let someone work on him. She saw to Ace herself. The only time someone else was allowed to see Ace was when Watts was piecing the boy's mangled body back together, "She wanted t-to see if she could copy my Semblance. She… She…"

Ace began to hyperventilate as he remembered his most recent meetings with Salem. He began to clutch his chest as his pulse reached dangerous levels. He collapsed onto the bed and started sweating profusely. Thankfully, his fire and lightning didn't make an appearance, but it was clear that the boy was remembering some truly terrifying things.

"Ace! Ace!" Summer tried to calm the boy down but caught a glimpse of the boy's chest under the hospital gown. Her eyes widened as she saw the massive scars, ranging from six inches to a foot all over the boy's torso along with scars at his shoulders. The initial wounds must have severed the boy's arms to leave that thick of a scar behind.

"Ace!" Ozpin said as he was to Ace's right, trying to lay Ace flat on the bed. He felt his hands burn as Ace's body temperature rose.

Qrow got ready for a fight, while Glynda stood frozen. She had seen some veteran huntsmen with PTSD, but never a child. It was the most heartbreaking scene she could imagine.

In an instant, Ace's heartrate dropped, and his eyes dulled. His pulse dropped so low, it was like he was asleep.

Ace turned to face Ozpin, who recognized the look in the boy's eyes as the same one he had when he was fighting Salem's men.

Ace sat up, not even wincing from the immense pain he was experiencing. He looked Ozpin dead in the eyes and pulled down his gown, revealing his heavily scarred torso.

"She would cut me open," Ace said in a completely monotone voice, "And put Grimm inside of me. She said I could let them study me, or they would tear apart from the inside, out."

Ozpin looked at the massive incision scars on the boy's body and could tell that he was telling the truth.

"When that didn't work, she would get angry," Ace said blankly, "She would hurt me to relieve her frustration and promised it would get worse if I disobeyed her. It always did."

Ace looked over at Summer, who was a split between mortified and shocked by how calmly Ace was talking about what happened.

"She wanted me to be like this," Ace said without any hint of emotion, "Like this, I don't hurt. Like this, I don't cry. I can fight without fear, just like she wanted."

Ace collapsed into a panting fit as color returned to his eyes. He looked around and saw the terrified expressions on the adult's faces.

"It happened again," Ace muttered, "Didn't it?"

Ozpin could only nod. Ace brought his hands to his face in anger, ignoring the pain that racked his arms.

"That's why I left," Ace muttered as tears escaped again, "She was trying to break me. I won't become the tool she wants."

Ace clenched his fists and the temperature of the room rose drastically. Ozpin and Summer back away from Ace instinctually as the boy was the epicenter of the heat.

"I will avenge those that suffered at her hands," Ace growled, "I will kill her myself. That is all I have to live for now."

Ace clenched his fists harder, and the temperature began to fall in the room. His eyes were burning still, just not as bright as they were a moment ago. He looked down at his arm and pulled out the IV in his wrist. He pulled up his gown and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Summer rushed to his side to put him back in bed, but Ace just raised a hand.

"Thank you all for helping me," Ace said softly as he rose on shaky legs. Pain coursed through him in droves, but he took a slow step towards the foot of the bed, "But this is my fight. I won't pull others into my battles anymore."

Ace took another step before his legs gave out. Summer caught him before putting him back in bed.

"No," Summer said sternly as she put Ace back on his bed, "You don't have to do this alone, Ace. We can help you."

Ace looked over at Summer who was smiling at him.

"We have been fighting Salem and her agents for years," Summer said honestly, "You're just a kid, Ace. Even if you find Salem, you're not strong enough to beat her. You would just be throwing your life away."

Ace looked down in anger at his own helplessness. He knew Summer was right, but was desperate to avoid the pain he felt when he lost Ember, or Spark, or Jade…

"Don't get sad," Summer said as she put an arm around the boy, "How about this…"

Summer pulled out a picture of her, Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby.

"I will take you back home with me to Patch," Summer began, getting shocked reactions from Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda, "You can live with me and my family for a few years, and then enter Signal. Qrow and Tai teach there. When you are old enough, you can go off to Beacon with Ozpin. He can train you while you are there, and then you will hopefully be ready for Salem."

Qrow was about to object to the proposal, but Ace beat him to it.

"I can't just sit around and wait to get started," Ace shook his head, "I have to be ready for anything. She could come after me tomorrow and try to take me back."

"All the more reason for you to stay somewhere she can't find you," Summer retorted, "If you really want to train that badly, Tai and I both graduated from Beacon. We can help you out until you start at Signal."

Ace looked down, shocked that a stranger would offer him such a kindness. He wanted to say yes, but he was afraid to. Everyone that he got close to died.

"Uh, Summer," Qrow called out, "Can I have a word with you?"

The drunk didn't wait for an answer. He just walked out of the room, Glynda and Ozpin followed him out.

"I'll be right back," Summer smiled and kissed Ace on the top of his head before she walked out.

Ace sat there, dumbfounded at the display of affection. He had heard and read about families and relationships, but aside from a handful of friends, Salem, and her agents, he wasn't allowed to form any sort of relationship.

Now, the three friends Ace had were dead, and he was with this woman who offered him more than he could ever ask for. More than he deserved.

 _"A family…"_ Ace thought. He wanted a family more than anything. He knew he must have had one before Salem took him, but he didn't remember them. He wondered if they were still alive. He asked Salem about them once, but she said that they didn't care about him.

That couldn't be true right?

Summer offered Ace the world, and she doesn't even know him. Why would the people that brought him into the world not care for him, when Summer already seemed to?

Outside of Ace's room, Qrow glared at Summer while Ozpin and Glynda stayed quiet.

"What the hell are you thinking, Summer?" Qrow growled, "You saw what he was capable of. He is dangerous. You can't just take him to Patch and play family with him."

Summer scowled at her teammate. She walked right up to Qrow and pulled him down to eyelevel by his tie.

"It's the only option!" Summer yelled, "If we let him go, Salem will just find him and make him into her personal weapon. We can't leave him with you because of your Semblance, Ozpin and Glynda are busy with Beacon and keeping tabs on the Maidens. If we sent him to Raven, he will grow up not caring for others. She has changed, Qrow. Ace needs us. He needs me!"

Qrow rubbed his head in frustration. Summer made sense like always, but Ace was unstable. He didn't want to put Salem's favorite toy next to Yang and Ruby.

"He only has one thing on his mind right now, revenge," Summer said as she looked at Qrow, "He needs people to be around. Salem has kept him locked up and tortured him for four years. The damage she has done can still be reversed, but he needs all of our help."

Ozpin sighed. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before looking at Summer.

"There are so many 'what-if's' though, Summer," Ozpin countered, "I understand the value the boy has, but he also comes with a lot of risks. What if Salem finds him and attacks your family to get him back?"

Summer's eyes seemed to glow for a second before going back to normal.

"She won't," Summer said dangerously, "She fears the Silver Eyes. Even if she found out, she won't touch them as long as I am alive."

Glynda jumped in.

"I agree with Summer," Goodwitch said bluntly. Qrow turned to her with a scowl, "Ace needs some sort of bond in his life. A family could help him more than any of us could individually. Right now, he is scared to get close to anyone because of what Salem did to him. He needs to know that he isn't alone."

Ozpin sighed again, knowing that he had lost this battle if both Summer and Glynda agreed.

"I assume it is better to have him on our side in the long run. If you believe this is the best way, then I will differ to your judgement." Ozpin admitted, and Qrow gaped.

"Are you guys serious?!" Qrow yelled, "You all saw him kill four dozen people without batting an eye, right? Why would you want that anywhere near Ruby and Yang?"

Summer just sighed as she released Qrow's tie.

"He's broken right now, Qrow," Summer said sadly, "I can't just sit here when I know that I can help him. He's a child. He deserves a chance at life, and I intend to give him one."

Summer opened the door to Ace's room and saw that Ace was sitting on his bed, smiling as tears went down his face. He held the picture of Summer's Family in his hands and studied it. He looked up at Summer as she walked back into the room.

"You were being serious right?" Ace asked nervously.

Summer just smiled and hugged Ace.


	2. Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home**

In the first year that Ace lived with Summer, a few things were common. Ace was very awkward, and had trouble interacting with Yang and Ruby. Tai was very protective of Yang and Ruby, but Summer seemed to trust Ace. She insisted that Taiyang train Ace in hand-to-hand combat.

Tai eventually relented and was genuinely surprised by the boy.

Ace learned much faster than Yang, with Tai struggling at times to keep up with the boy's rapid development at times. To say Ace was a prodigy, would be putting it lightly. He had a knack for anything combat related. Whether it was mastering new techniques, or conditioning his body, Ace seemed to optimize every second he spent training. He was determined to better himself and would make the most out of his time.

Ace was no longer the frail, sickly child that Summer brought home a year ago. He ate like he had a black hole for a stomach and never seemed to get sick. His body was barely able to keep up with the massive reserves of Aura he possessed. According to Ace, his Aura was unlocked during one of Salem's earliest experiments, to keep him from bleeding to death. Upon further inspection, Ace's Aura was unlike anything Tai or Summer had ever heard of.

The energy within Ace was far denser than normal Aura. Even while it wasn't being used, Ace's Aura coursed through him like a raging current. His Aura Reserves were monstrous, making it rather difficult for Ace to learn low-level Aura manipulation techniques. His destructive capability was staggering. He could use ungodly amounts of Aura to fuel his lightning or fire, yet still have a natural barrier between him and enemy attacks. He explained that Salem would torture hi if he didn't progress fast enough. It was clear that during the four years Salem imprisoned Ace, he had adapted to survive.

Ozpin hypothesized that Ace's Aura was a combination Ember's, Spark's, Jade's, and his own. Rather than converting the Aura Ace absorbed into his natural Aura, it was likely that Ace's Aura mixed with the new Aura and formed something entirely new, and many times stronger than the original.

Ace worked with Tai and Summer on individual aspects of his combat. Tai focused on physical conditioning, Aura manipulation, and hand-to-hand combat, while Summer trained Ace to master his Semblances and weaponry.

Ace struggled to control his Semblances, meaning his progress was slow, but steady. It was easy for him to cut loose and not restrain his fire or lightning, but Summer wanted him to master the basics of his Semblances before he started to use his full power. His swordplay was the exact opposite. After the first few months, Summer was forced to take her spars with Ace seriously. The swords seemed completely natural in the boy's hands. His speed, while still much slower than Summer, and creative fighting styles always kept Summer on her toes. She dual wielded with two short swords, _Clementine_ and _Rosa_.

Summer taught Ace at a staggering rate, helping the boy develop a style that best fit his body, speed, and Semblances. She taught him how to channel Aura into his swords, but the attacks would almost always convert into fire or lightning. She told him that his swords were far stronger than anything she had seen, and channel Aura into them when he had the intent to kill.

Ace took an interest in bo staffs as well. He felt that his swords were a little too lethal to use in spars against anyone that wasn't Summer, Tai, or Qrow. Summer, being the gun nut that she was, helped Ace come up with a way to make his staff transform into a staff when the butts were connected. The staff would be hollow, but the metal was too strong to be broken, or even dented.

Ruby nearly had exploded in excitement when Ace promised to help her make a weapon when the time came.

While Summer only trained Ace, Tai started to train Yang as well.

Taiyang expected to be able to train Yang and Ace together, but after a week, it was obvious that Ace could learn much faster than his 'sister'. The boy took to fighting like a fish takes to water. Anything Tai threw at him; the boy would learn immediately. Ace tried to tell himself that it was the silver lining of his time with Salem, but it severed as a dark reminder of his past.

Ace would watch Tai, Tai would use whatever he was trying to teach against Ace, and then he was able to replicate the move almost perfectly. He polished up the moves thereafter, but in the year Ace had been sparring with Tai, they had covered almost five years' worth of martial arts training.

Tai was very hesitant to house Ace, at first. He heard about the mission details from Qrow and watched the footage of Ace slaughtering the guards without batting an eye. It terrified him that Summer would bring such a child home, but the real Ace was nothing like the one in the video. It was almost like they were two different people, which worried Ozpin.

Ace, while ridiculously awkward for the first month or so, was a very kind and loving boy. He got close to Ruby first, mainly because the girl would just follow him around like a lost puppy when they weren't in school. Eventually, Ace started to talk to Tai's youngest daughter.

Tai remembered when he saw Ace tickling Ruby to cheer her up after she was told she couldn't train with him and Yang. It was the first time Tai caught himself smiling at Ace, rather than wearing a forced neutral expression. The two were like real siblings. Ruby stopped bothering Tai and Summer when she had nightmares. Rather, Tai would find her in Ace's bed, with the boy holding her protectively whne they woke Ace and Ruby up in the morning.

It was clear that Ace had natural protective instincts for Ruby. He had no memory of his family prior to Salem abducting him, but he told Tai and Summer that it just felt natural to him.

Summer was the one to comfort Ace when he had nightmares about his time with Salem, but after a while, Ruby tried to help out. She would hug Ace as tight as she could until he calmed down, often times hearing him murmur apologies to people she had never heard of.

Ruby had asked Tai and Summer why Ace would have episodes, but they always dodged the questions. It annoyed Ruby, but she was too scared to ask Ace directly. She may be ditzy, but she wasn't stupid. There was a clear connection between everything. Why Ace trained so hard, why he was so protective of Ruby and Yang (even though the latter took some time to warm up to him), and why he was so secretive of his past. It hurt Ruby to know that Ace had to keep secrets from her.

Yang was another story.

Yang was extremely envious of Ace at first. He was the new kid, that came in an immediately had both Tai and Summer training him. Yang had been asking to start her training for years, but she they would always turn her down. Yet, they seemed more than willing to train Ace, even though he had no relation to them.

To make matters worse, Ace was better than Yang. Far better.

After the first week of training, Tai separated Yang and Ace, because she was holding him back. Her father never said that, but she knew it was true. Ace would train with Tai in the mornings and Summer in the evenings when she wasn't out on missions.

Yang never trained with Summer, but apparently Ace was good enough to train with their mother. It frustrated Yang to no end. It always made her feel like she wasn't good enough. She hated Ace even more when he started getting close to Ruby. Her sister would insist that Ace was nothing like she thought, but Yang would only get angrier.

For the first few months Ace lived with them, Yang would avoid him entirely, or purposely pick on him. His lack of social skills made him easy prey, but her words never seemed to bother him, much to her annoyance.

One day, Yang was having some trouble mastering a new technique her father taught her. She was trying her best, but the combination of kicks and quick jabs to uncovered pressure points was too unnatural for her. She remembered watching Ace master the technique in a matter of seconds a few months ago, yet she was held up on it for over a week, with her father insisting that she master it before they move on.

Ace came to Yang and asked if she wanted help, to which he received a particularly harsh verbal lashing from the blonde before she stormed off. Rather than leaving Yang alone, Ace followed her, like Ruby advised. No matter how far or fast she ran, Yang couldn't lose Ace. Whenever she thought she had finally lost him, he would just appear behind her again like he had been there the entire time.

After a few hours of running, Yang finally gave up and agreed to listen to Ace. She was very snotty at first, only listening to Ace so he would finally leave her alone, but Ace started to explain things her father didn't.

Ace told her that her fighting style was basically brawling, so a quick chain of attacks like the technique she was stuck on wouldn't be easy for her. He said that if she could combo it with a couple of power attacks to build up her momentum before going into the technique, it would feel a lot more natural.

Reluctantly, Yang tested what Ace suggested and had to agree. That afternoon, Yang showed the technique to her father, stunning the Huntsman. He was unsure of how Yang had progressed so much in a single afternoon. He knew Yang was like him, always rushing into things rather than thinking things through. He asked Ace if he had helped Yang, but Ace merely said that Yang just needed to make the technique her own, rather that do something foreign to her.

Slowly, but surely, Yang started to open up to Ace. She sat next to him in their classes and saw that his intelligence wasn't limited to fighting. He had nearly perfect grades and would always get the highest grades on tests or projects.

Yang started to ask for Ace's help on her training more often and noticed that the way he explained things was much easier for her to understand. She eventually started to talk to him about non-training topics and found that Ace was quite the jokester.

Ace was very sarcastic and comical most of the time, always having a nice one-liner to lift everyone's spirits. He would help her with her studies when she needed it, but Yang always liked to spar with Ace. He had a way of explaining situations to her mid-fight, so she could learn rather than just constantly getting beaten up by her father.

After a few months, Yang became quite fond of Ace. She called him 'big brother', even though they were unsure of who was technically the elder of the two. Where Yang was rash and impulsive, Ace was calm and calculated… unless you messed with his meat at dinner.

Yang and Ruby were always amazed by the sheer amount of food Ace consumed a day.

Tai couldn't help but feel a little guilty about his initial opinion of Ace. He had always wanted a son, just like Summer, and Ace was smart, caring, and protective of his siblings. Tai wouldn't have to worry about boys going after his daughters as long as Ace was around. He and Summer had accepted the boy as their son, and nothing could change that.

Everything went perfectly… until Summer didn't return from her mission.

When Tai, Ruby, Yang, and Ace found out, Ace wanted nothing more than to be alone. For the first few hours after finding out, Ace went out to a cliff overlooking the ocean at the edge of Patch, where Summer took him on nights that he couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure how long he was there, but Ace was reminded of the pain he felt when Ember, Spark, and Jade died.

The time Ace spent with Summer and her family was the happiest in his life. At times he felt like he was undeserving of such kindness.

Qrow and Ozpin kept the truth behind Summer's disappearance secret from Ace. They insisted that they would tell him when the time came, much to Ace's frustration. He wanted nothing more than to vent his anger destructively, but he knew that something had to be done first.

Ace had to bottle his emotions. He was the only one to deal with the death of loved ones before. He knew that Yang and Ruby would need someone to be there. Tai was their father, but this was the second time he lost a 'lover'. Ace could tell that the loss hurt him just as much, if not more that Yang and Ruby.

For weeks, Ace shared his room with Ruby and Yang, comforting them as the reality of the situation set in. Summer was gone.

Ace picked up the slack where Tai couldn't. He would cook and clean around the house, as well as help with Ruby's and Yang's homework whenever they asked. Tai, Yang, and Ruby all leaned on him to get through the loss. It was the least he could do. He owed Summer and her family a debt that could not be repaid. He kept himself busy, but never got the chance to grieve for Summer. He kept everything to himself, even finding it difficult to expresses his more repressed emotions when he was alone.

Yang, Ruby, and Ace grew even closer in the months following Summer's disappearance. Tai started to work a lot more, having to support three kids on his own, but was only able to do so because Ace helped him out around the house and with Ruby and Yang.

Ace started to train on his own, rather than asking Qrow or Tai for help. Summer was the one to push him the hardest, but now that she was gone. Ace knew that Salem might try to take abduct or kill him and Ruby if she discovered their location. Summer always used to mutter things in her sleep about Ruby having silver eyes, and a dormant power when she would nap or comfort him when he had nightmares, but Ace never asked about it.

Ace knew that Summer wasn't a loon, so there must be some truth behind her words. He assumed that Ruby could be targeted for one reason or another, so he needed to be ready. He trained himself for three hours in the morning before school, cleaned up and made breakfast, went to school for six hours, came home and made dinner, then went out to train six more hours on his own.

Yang had come to Ace for help with her training, but Ace always worked with her in the mornings. No one knew exactly what Ace did when he went off by himself to train, but he would always come back dead tired and drenched in sweat.

Ace became a perfectionist, running himself ragged every time he trained, but perfecting techniques, fighting styles, and mastering his Semblances. He developed methods of using his lightning and fire both offensive and defensively, as well as channeling Aura into his blades and staff.

Ace also started to use knives more often, using them as non-lethal alternatives to his swords. He would dual wield his knives, just like his swords, and developed a hand-to-hand/Arnis style.

Qrow had watched Ace on a number of occasions, remaining hidden, in his bird form. Ace was coming along better than anyone could have expected. He had a determination to him that was downright terrifying. He would advance by leaps and bounds in every aspect he put his mind to, yet didn't show any of it to Yang, Ruby, or the other kids at school. Everything Ace accomplished was well deserved and worked for.

Once Ace enrolled at Signal, he became much more secretive of his training. He was able to hide from Qrow and would not report his development to Ozpin. The only thing the pair had to go on was Ace's undefeated record at Signal.

At first, Ace mastered hand-to-hand combat. He used this in almost all of his spars at school, even when his partners would use weapons. His speed and strength far surpassed that of his classmates, allowing for him to dispatch his opponents with ease. He was never forced to reveal his Semblances, and only a handful of students actually landed hits on him.

On occasion, Ace would use his knives, but he never drew his swords, even though he took them everywhere with him. He felt venerable without them, not to mention, Summer was the one that helped him design the transforming mechanics of the blades, so Ace could also use them as a staff.

Qrow sparred Ace once, and to say the boy impressed would be putting in lightly. Ace didn't use his Semblances, but just his hand-to-hand, swordsmanship, and Dojutsu were terrifying. Qrow completely understood why he didn't use his sword or staff against his classmates.

Ace had a way of predicting blows in fights that was almost like a foresight Semblance, Qrow fought against in the Vital Festival, his third year at Beacon. Neither of them could explain it, but Ace said that if he watched a person hard enough and flooded the air around him with Aura, he could read the movements of their muscles and predict their attacks.

Qrow had never heard met anyone with the same mental fortitude as Ace, so he figured it might be something unique to him, but Ace did say that Salem tried to instill the skill into him when he would spar against the Grimm she created.

Qrow knew that Yang, Ruby, and Tai were worried about Ace. He never seemed to be bothered by Summer's death, but they knew that couldn't be farther from the truth. He had been there for all of them, but never been the one to lean on others. He didn't push them away, but he never let them in completely. It was obvious that Summer's death shattered Ace, but he never showed it. He was always their rock when they needed to vent, or let it all out, yet he never depended on them in that way.

Yang and Ruby wished that just once, Ace would let out his bottled-up emotions. They didn't know everything about his life before he lived with them, but they knew it was anything but happy. They saw his scars once when the family went to the beach and were horrified.

Ace saw the fear in their eyes as Yang and Ruby stared at him, and never let them see his scars again. He would always swim with a shirt or get dressed in the bathroom, so he didn't scare the girls.

Summer scolded the girls when she found out about it, but Ace insisted it was okay. Ruby and Yang still felt guilty about the way they acted that day. In a way, they showed fear, or disgust at the representations of Ace's life before them. They tried to apologize on a number of occasions, but Ace would always just dismiss the matter as 'ancient history'.

A few things about Ace really bothered Qrow. He had to admit, he was wrong about Ace. He was glad that his 'nieces' had someone like him looking out for them, but Ace never opened up.

Ace did everything on his own. He never relied on others to get stronger, or to learn. He was far more resourceful than those twice his age. He had mastered stealth by reading Summer's old journals and developed new styles based on advice she had given him years in the past. Nothing was ever good enough for Ace. He never seemed to plateau and was always coming up with more ways to combat different opponents or different Semblances. He kept journals of all the Semblances he read about or weapons he had seen, and came up with ways to counter each individual one as effectively as possible.

A few months after Summer died, Ruby asked Qrow's to train her, and Tai rekindled his training sessions with Yang, but Ace never asked for help from either of them. Ozpin would go and talk to the boy every now and then, but Ace was very secretive about his power.

Yang eventually discovered her Semblance, as did Ruby some time later. Upon realizing their Semblances, they asked Ace what his was, but he never gave them a straight answer, much to their annoyance. He would joke about it being a surprise, but never even hinted at what it could be.

Ozpin and Qrow were glad that Ace kept his Semblance a secret. He never had to use his abilities over the years, except in training, but even then, Summer had showed him distant or hidden locations where she had trained with her Silver Eyes power. There, Ace wouldn't be discovered, or risk harming anyone. He had sculpted his body and mind into weapons capable of handling most fights with just his physical capabilities.

At age 16, Ace was a hair under six feet, but stood at a solid 6'2 in his combat boots. He was 215 pounds of solid muscle, that had been gathered over years of insane physical conditioning. He had endurance out the ass, and could outmuscle Yang, even when her Semblance was active.

Ace's speed was comparable to Ruby's when her Semblance was active, much to the little girl's annoyance. The sisters often sparred against Ace over the years, only to be thrown around like ragdolls.

Ace seemed to have a sixth sense on the battlefield. He could feel when an attack was coming and move out of the way, even if he didn't see or hear it. He could mold his Aura into a field around him to spot enemies and 'see' the surrounding area. This ability was almost always active, even when Ace wasn't in combat.

Ace taught Ruby this technique, but Yang didn't have a good enough control over her Aura to master the technique. She had too much raw power to release the undetectable amounts needed for this technique to be used optimally.

Instead, Ace taught Yang a means of releasing bursts of Aura from her hands and feet to amplify the power of her attacks. Yang took advantage of the technique, tweaking it here and there to fit her needs. She was capable of dealing insane amounts of Aura damage with a single blow when she partnered her Aura Blasts with her _Ember Celica_.

Ace was number one in his grade, with Yang at number two. He was the top student in both academics and combat, making him particularly well know, even among the younger students. He made many friends during his time at the Signal, and much to Yang and Ruby's annoyance, attracted girls like moths to a flame.

There were many rumors going about Ace's sexual exploits, some saying that he slept with a few of the prettiest girls at their school, and others claiming he was interested in men, but Yang insisted that these were just rumors. She grew protective of Ace, much like he was of her and Ruby. She hated the way girls looked at him. Their lust-filled gazes drove her crazy. On more than one occasion, Yang picked fights with a few of the more audacious girls, but they never seemed to get the message. She had no idea how Ace ignored them.

Yang just looked forward to going to Beacon. She and Ace would be partners and lead a team on a number of adventures all around the world. They'd enjoy themselves and when Ruby was at Beacon, they would tease and harass her like good older siblings.

Ace seemed to be more focused on the present than the future. Any time Yang talked about how awesome it's gonna be to go away, Ace would get really quiet. He told her a number of times that he would prefer to live in the moment, which she could respect, but she could also tell that there was something more that he kept secret.

It wasn't until Qrow showed up with an odd request that Ace was forced to reveal his secrets.

 **One Year Before Canon**

Ace stood at the sink, cleaning dishes, like he had many times in the past six years. It was a particularly nice Saturday afternoon, and Yang, Taiyang, and Ruby sat will full stomachs and nothing to do.

Ruby and Yang let out a satisfied groan, then the latter let out a hearty burb.

Yang wore an orange tank top with a flaming heart in the center that showed a few inches of her midriff and short black shorts. Ruby wore a plain black tank top with white pants that had little pink roses dotting them. Taiyang wore his normal attire, having just returned from a meeting at Signal.

"Ahhh," Yang sighed with a smile, "I love Ace's cooking."

Yang got a groan from her sister and father in response. They heard a knock at the door, and all looked at each other, before nodding in mutual understanding.

"Ace!" Tai called out as he held his bulging belly, "Can you get the door?"

The three heard a sigh from the kitchen before the water cut off and Ace came into sight.

"Really guys," Ace said as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. Ruby turned to face her surrogate brother. He towered over her and Yang and had a build that put her father to shame. His skinned darkened a bit over the years, contrasting his snow-white hair that sat in a controlled chaos on top of his head. He pushed it out of his face often, though the white never seemed to fade. He wore a black muscle shirt, revealing much of his muscular chest and arms. His scars covered his arms, a few peeked out of his collar, but the worst were concealed. He had on red shorts that went below his knees and was currently barefoot, "It's right next to the table guys…"

Ace only got a groan in response as he walked past his family with a grin and unlocked the door.

"Qrow?" Ace asked in slight confusion, "Come in. I didn't know you were coming by."

Ace stepped out of the way as Qrow entered. The Huntsman wore his normal attire, and actually didn't smell like cheap liquor for once.

"Sorry to intrude, I didn't plan on coming by," Qrow turned to Ace, "But Oz asked if I could talk to you about something."

Ace's eyes narrowed for a second and Qrow felt Ace's eyes watching his every move. The boy had a way of reading people. Even the most gifted liars were open books to Ace. Qrow fell victim to this a number of times over the years and learned it's better to just be honest with Ace. Sooner or later, he would always find out the truth anyways.

"What does Ozpin need with Ace?" Tai asked, sitting up in interest and concern. He ignored the discomfort in his stomach, knowing that Ozpin and Ace were never really the best of friends.

Yang and Ruby shared a look of confusion before turning to Ace for answers, but their surrogate brother was too busy staring down Qrow.

"Uh," Qrow muttered as he looked at Ruby and Yang, "I thinks tt's best if we keep it between the three of us."

Tai nodded after a second of hesitation, then looked at Ruby and Yang sitting next to him.

"Can you two give us a minute?" Tai asked his daughters. They looked like they were about to protest, but Ace just shook his head. They took the warning and reluctantly went away. They spared Ace one last glance, but only got a small smile from their brother before they turned down the hall.

Ace looked at Qrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Are they actually upstairs?" Qrow asked Ace, who shook his head.

"But if we keep our voices down," Ace countered, "They won't be able to hear us."

Tai was about to go scold his daughters, but Ace just raised a hand.

"This is apparently important if Oz got you out of the bars at this hour," Ace jabbed with a straight face, getting an annoyed expression from Qrow.

"It's 2:30," Qrow protested with a deadpanned expression.

Ace scoffed.

"Because you've never been drunk this early before," Ace said sarcastically. Tai grinned at Ace, and the boy cracked a smile of his own. Qrow just sighed before changing the subject.

"Anyways," Qrow grumbled, "Oz wanted me to ask you if you wanted to compete in the Mistral Regional Tournament this year."

Ace opened his eyes for a second before sighing. He looked up at Qrow, knowing that he was being volen-told, more than asked, but was curious as to why Ozpin would be willing to tip his hand and reveal Ace to the world.

"Why would I want to do that?" Ace asked in fake annoyance, "I've never been interested in flashy competitions like that."

Qrow pulled out his flask, using it to buy himself some time to think. He had drawn the short straw here. It was between him, Oz, and Goodwitch, and somehow Qrow was the one stuck with the Herculean Task of getting Ace to stop training and go fight people that were no match for him.

"Well," Qrow started, "There are a number of reasons. First off, prize money. There is this girl, Pyrrha something that has won three years in a row. Those in Mistral have taken to calling her the Untouchable Girl or something. People are willing to spend literal fuck-tons of money to see her fight. The champions purse is sitting at 1.5 million Lien. Second, this is the first year Vale, Mantle, and Vacuo are invited. It's kinda like a mini-Vital Festival. If you win it, you could make Vale look good and maybe catch the eye of some important people that we need on our side when the time comes. Lastly, Oz and I wants to see you in action. Not everyone you fight is always going to require your hundred percent. That would probably be the case here, but I doubt you can beat that Pyrrha girl without using your Semblances. We are all curious to see how far you have come, and you aren't exactly a fan of reporting in like we asked you to. So, why not just show us?"

Ace sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Tai," Ace got his 'father's' attention, "If I win this thing, would you be willing to accept the prize money. It could make things a lot easier for a while and pay for Beacon when its tuition time."

Tai paled slightly at the thought of three kids going to Beacon. He then looked at Ace with a worried expression.

"You wouldn't want to keep it?" Tai asked, "There's nothing you would want?"

Ace's eyes lit up for a second and a sinister smile appeared on his face, making the two men grow weary.

"Actually, I'll get what I want, then give you the rest," Ace offered, his smile growing, "Assuming Tai is cool with accepting the money, you got yourself a deal."

Tai was more worried about what Ace wanted at this point, than anything else.

"Uh, Ace," Tai said nervously, "What exactly do you want to buy?"

Ace just smiled and waved off the question.

"I have to win this thing before I can think about that, right?" Ace's smile turned sinister again before he turned to Qrow, "Alright. When do we leave?"

Qrow looked at his watch, secretly happy that Ace didn't make this difficult.

"The tournament starts in two days," Qrow pointed out, "We should leave tonight so you can get situated before the fighting starts. Go get packed. I'll give Oz a call. He can set up a flight for us.

Ace nodded and walked out of the room. His grin fell as he started to think about the many contenders he had watched and read about over the years. Pyrrha Nikos was the only one to really catch his eye. She was the three-time champion of this tournament and won each year by a landslide. He wanted to face her eventually, curious about what her Semblance might be, and whether it would be worth taking.

Ozpin was strongly against Ace taking anymore Semblances, but Ace knew that if he wanted to actually reach Salem's level, he would have to use his Semblance. He was afraid to use it again, but he knew that the peace he had enjoyed for the last seven years was bound to end eventually. He needed to be ready when it did.

"Are you and Oz really that desperate to see how strong he is?" Tai muttered angrily, "He'll be at Beacon next year. Why can't you just wait?"

Qrow pulled out his scroll and began to dial Oz's number.

"At the rate things are going, we might not have a year," Qrow said darkly before walking out onto the front porch.

Ace turned the corner and saw Yang and Ruby waiting for him on the stairs. They shot up when they saw their brother walking up to them.

"What was that about? Is everything okay? Are you going away?" Ruby bombarded Ace with questions, earning herself a hand on the top of her head and an affectionate head pat.

"Calm down, Rubes," Ace smiled as he walked up the stairs, "I am going away for a bit, but I should be back in a week or so."

Yang and Ruby followed him to his room and saw that he was packing both combat gear and dress clothes.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked as she tried to piece it together by what Ace was packing.

Ace put his bag on his bed, Ruby and Yang sitting down on either side.

"Mistral," Ace replied as pulled out a spare cloak and set it on the coat rack next to his door, "I am going to be competing in the Mistral Regional Tournament, representing Vale."

Ace covered his ears preemptively.

"WHAT?!" Ruby and Yang yelled as they jumped to their feet. Ace smiled as he saw the looks on their faces.

"Oh my gosh! That's so cool!" Ruby gushed as she thought about watching Ace fight in a structured tournament. No one in Signal could even come close to beating Ace. If he were to go an compete in Mistral, he would have to give it his all.

"Why was I not asked?!" Yang yelled at Ace, "I'm the second ranked senior in Signal! Why wasn't I asked to participate?"

Ace shrugged his shoulders. He smiled at Yang, hoping she would keep her anger in check.

"Ozpin apparently wanted me to be the one to represent Vale," Ace said offhandedly as he packed some pajamas, "He apparently isn't happy with how I've been hiding my potential. This is probably his way of comparing me to some of the world's finest our age."

Yang crossed her arms and pouted cutely. Ace chuckled

"Still," Yang muttered, "I wanna go…"

Ace grinned as he turned to the blonde. He took a few steps and stopped in front of her.

"Awww," Ace cooed as he rubbed Yang's head, messing up her hair, "Is my little sister going to miss me?"

Yang blushed at Ace's actions, then swiped off his hand and tried to fix her hair.

"Hands off the hair," Yang growled dangerously.

Ruby stood up and looked at Ace's packed bag. He just had a change of his combat clothes resting on the bed, as he waited for Yang and Ruby to leave.

"Ace," Ruby said softly, "Can we talk about something really quick?"

Ace turned to Ruby in confusion. She seemed nervous about something.

"Sure, Ruby," Ace responded, "What's up?"

"I-I'm sorry for how I acted when I saw your scars," Ruby stuttered as she stared at her feet.

Ace's eyes widened as Ruby's words echoed in the air. Yang's eyes widened as well, as he breath caught in her throat. Ever since the initial scolding from Summer, Yang and Ruby had never even mentioned the scars that covered Ace's body. It was basically taboo in their household.

"Where is this coming from?" Ace put an arm around the small girl and pulled her into a hug, "I've already told you not to worry about it."

Ruby clutched to Ace's shirt as she felt tears form in her eyes.

"It's obviously not alright, Ace!" Ruby countered, "Ever since we first saw them, you have been scared to show us again. It's because of how we acted, isn't it?"

Ace froze, and Ruby noticed. Yang stared wide-eyed at her 'siblings' in shock. She was trembling slightly, remembering how terrified she was when she first saw the scars that covered Ace's torso.

"R-Rubes, it's-" Ace started before Ruby cut him off.

"Stop telling everyone that you're okay all the time!" Ruby felt tears on her cheeks, but she buried her face in Ace's chest, "You always keep everything bottled up! You have to let it out or it will overwhelm you."

Ace looked down at Ruby in shock, but the girl continued.

"When mom died, you were there for all of us," Ruby said softly as she remembered the many nights her and Yang cried themselves to sleep in this very room, "We leaned on you to get through it, but you never needed us."

Ace's hair shadowed his eyes as Ruby continued.

"We have done nothing but rely on you since mom brought you home!" Ruby sobbed, "Yet you haven't needed us! Why Ace? Why don't you let us help you like you help us?"

Ruby felt Ace's arms tighten around her. She quieted down as she waited for Ace to respond.

"Ruby," Ace said softly as a tear fell off his chin and onto Ruby's head, "You, Yang, and your parents have done more for me than I could ever repay. Your mother saved my life and gave me a reason to live."

Yang's eyes welled with tears as she saw her brother's sad expression. She got up slowly and approached Ace and Ruby.

"I was broken before I met her," Ace muttered, feeling Yang hug him from behind, "Now I have a family. I have two beautiful sisters that I would do anything for. I have a father that will always be there for me, even when I feel like I have nowhere to go. I can't put into words how much the three of you mean to me."

Ace felt his heart melt as his sisters embraced him. He was unsure of how long they stayed there, but it was the happiest he had been since Summer offered to take him home with her over seven years ago.

"Ozpin, Qrow, and your parents asked me to keep my past a secret," Ace revealed, getting shocked expressions from his sisters as they let go of him, "I've think you two have been in the dark for long enough."

Ace kissed the top of their heads and reached for the bottom of his shirt. He pulled off his shirt to reveal the horrific scars that peppered his muscular frame.

It was easier for Yang and Ruby this time. The scars were the stuff of nightmares, but they needed to see it. They memorized Ace's torso, Yang having a slight blush as she did so.

"When I get back," Ace pulled a new shirt over his chest, "I will answer whatever questions you guys have."

Ace grabbed a cloak from the rack next to his door and smiled at his sisters.

"Wish me luck," Ace chirped as he made his way out of the room and down the stairs.

As soon as Ace was out of earshot, Ruby and Yang tensed, the image of Ace's scarred torso fresh on their mind. An expression of horror came back to their faces as they tried to keep their cool.

"Sis," Yang asked, "Wh-What could have done that to him?"

Ruby just shook her head as she thought over what she had seen.

"I don't know…"


	3. Chapter 3: A Fated Encounter

**A/N: Hey guys, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I wanted to bring a few things to your attention real quickly.**

 **First, pairings. I have a few ideas for what to do with some of the main characters, but I am eager to hear what you all think. In the next few chapters, I will be introducing a few characters earlier than they appear in the series, and plan on having them play larger roles than their canon counterparts. When it comes to Ace, I want to let the story flow naturally, rather than force a relationship, so harem, OTP, I'm not certain yet. Let me know what you think.**  
 **Second, Gary-stu. A few people have brought up Ace's 'Gary-stu-ness', which I see as incredibly valid so far. I can however tell you, he is not nearly as perfect as he might look. He has many issues, some more prevalent than others, and is FAR from perfect. In the next few chapters, I plan on showing his flaws, and showing you the real Ace. I love morally gray characters like Alucard from Hellsing and Lullouch from Code Geass. I feel like even if the character is strong, or even OP, if they have certain struggles that are out of their control, or are willing to dirty their hands to accomplish their goals, it adds a whole different level to their development, which I plan to do with Ace.**  
 **Third, feedback. I welcome all kinds of feedback, especially while this story is in its early stages. Right now, if there are things that don't make sense, I can fix it without having to completely rewrite the story. Conversely, if there are things that you enjoy and want me to expand on, I can do so, but right now, I'm just kinda going naturally. I would like you guys to let me know what you think, whether that is by leaving reviews, or PMing me. I'm eager to hear what you guys think, so keep me posted.**  
 **That's enough of me. He is the next chapter in Consequences.**

 **Chapter 3: A Fated Encounter**

 **Mistral**

The city of Mistral was abuzz, waiting for the first round of the Tournament. People from all over the Kingdom packed into the seats of the stadium, eager to see this years expanded tournament. Rather than the usual 64 contestant format, 64 additional slots were opened up for the other three Kingdoms to fill up.

Pyrrha Nikos stood among the other 127 contestants in this year's Mistral Regional Tournament. She was the heavy favorite to defend her title, even though the contestants from the other kingdoms would try their best to strip her of her title. She stood in the center of the contestants, hearing the crowd chant her name. She smiled and waved, getting an annoyed look from some of her contestants.

Pyrrha zoned out Leonardo Lionheart's opening speech. He said something about coming together after the War and building relationships between the Kingdoms, but Pyrrha was already getting focused on the upcoming matches. She tried to read up on all her potential opponents and found that most of them weren't very impressive. There were a few here and there that might make for a challenge, but she wouldn't face them until the later rounds.

With a roar of applause, Lionheart stepped away from the microphone and waved to the crowd, pulling Pyrrha from her thoughts.

As soon as Lionheart stepped off the podium, the first two contestants were called to the floor. As the other 126 cleared, Pyrrha caught sight of Vale's lone contender. His name was Ace. He had no last name and not much was known about him, but something about the boy seemed off.

Ace was a taller, muscular boy. He was a few inches taller than her and wore combat boots to add to his imposing build. He had tanned skin and beautiful, snow white hair that seemed almost radiant in the morning sun. He wore a black cloak with the sleeves torn off, revealing muscular and scarred arms. The cloak had white detailing around the shoulders and back, that seemed to meet under the boy's weapons. His pants were as white as his hair and his dark gray muscle-shirt clung to his figure, leaving little to the imagination.

On Ace's back were two katana-like swords that were sheathed at the moment. They had golden hilts and butts and were about a meter long all together. Pyrrha could tell that there were other weapons inside of Ace's cloak, but she couldn't make them out what they were.

Ace looked Pyrrha's way for a second. Burning gold met deep green through the sea of contenders and Ace grinned at the Untouchable Girl. He gave her a quick wink before looking away and focusing on his opponent.

Pyrrha's heart fluttered for a second at Ace's rather handsome appearance. No one had ever blatantly made a pass at her since she became the 'Untouchable Girl' and Pyrrha never expected the mysterious Lone Contender to be so audacious. She had a faint pink in her cheeks as she walked up to the box she was assigned to, the mysterious Lone Contender fresh on her mind.

In a private box on the other side of the arena, Weiss Schnee and her father sat in a private box, being catered by their family's servants.

Weiss looked down at the first two contenders, trying to analyze the two contenders before the match started.

"Klein," Weiss called over her shoulder, "What do you know about the first two contestants?"

The girl staring down Ace, had long auburn hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was a few shades lighter than her opponents but fit her hair and eyes beautifully. Her beauty was prevalent, but her stance and spear screamed danger. She wore brown armor and a dark-brown combat skirt, as well as knee-high boots that were plated in the front. Her lance was six feet long, with many intricate black lines stretching down the golden metal that made up the weapon.

In the past, the weapon could to transform into an automatic assault rifle, but there were rumors that she had changed up her tactic to better combat the Untouchable Girl.

A bald man with a brown mustache walked up beside the heiress, but another voice called out.

"Valerie Vixen," The voice said, "She has been the runner up for the last three years. Most in Mistral expect her to have another rematch with the Untouchable Girl in the Finals."

Weiss turned with a smile as she recognized the voice.

A woman that looked almost exactly like an older Weiss stepped next to her in a formal manner.

"Winter!" Weiss cheered fondly as she got up and hugged her sister. Winter returned the gesture, then nodded to their father. She got a terse grunt in response.

"What are you doing here?" Weiss asked with a smile.

Winter motioned for Weiss to sit back down as she stepped up to the window that overlooked the arena. The sisters got situated before continuing their conversation.

"The General asked me to come and watch, and take note of anyone that catches my eye," Winter's eyes narrowed as she focused on Ace, "The other one is simply called Ace. Not much is known about him, except that he is the only contender Vale sent to the tournament. Rumor is Ace was approached by Ozpin himself and asked to compete."

Weiss looked down at Ace. She could tell that there was more under the surface, but Ace didn't look too special. He looked like your typical physical fighter, with a build to match it. He wore a cocky smirk as he waited for the match to begin.

"What are you expecting from this match?" Weiss asked. Winter kept her gaze on Ace, observing the boy's every movement, looking for the slightest tip of the boy's hand.

"I'm not sure," Winter responded, "Ace is a complete unknown, and Ozpin is no fool. He wouldn't put his trust in someone who didn't have potential."

 **Beacon**

Ozpin and Glynda sat in Ozpin's office, watching a screen on the desk that showed Ace and Valerie staring each other down.

Glynda eyed Ace as the camera shifted to a close-up shot of the smirking boy.

"You shouldn't have sent him to Mistral," Glynda berated as she listened to the announcers explain the rumors behind Ozpin personally choosing Ace to represent Vale, "He hasn't updated us about his metal state in almost a year. What if he loses control?"

Ozpin took a slow sip of coffee, as the camera shifted to a calm, Valerie.

"There is no one that knows Ace's limits better than himself," Ozpin pointed out, "Besides, this is his first public appearance outside of Vale. I'm curious to see how desperate Salem is to retrieve him, and if Summer's gamble paid off."

Glynda sighed as she looked down at the file on the desk. The file contained written copies of every meeting Ace had with the pair over the last seven years.

"What if she sends someone after him?" Glynda countered, "Qrow alone can't defeat both Hazel and Tyrian. What would happen if she decides to fully commit to retrieving Ace?"

Ozpin smiled as he looked down at his cup.

"You are always the one to defend him when James gets upset," Ozpin recalled, "Where is that confidence now?"

Glynda picked up a stabled group of paper and flipped to the last page.

"Ace said, ' _The 'Other' mindset that Salem instilled into me has grown increasingly aggressive as of late. The mindset seems to have become more of an alternate personality rather than just a branch of my subconscious, like it was in the past. I suspect the extended repression made it desperate, leading it to separate from me to an extent, and push its influence over me as much as possible. The calm persona that the mindset used to instill upon was replaced by a cruel, sadistic side, that seems to lack any kind of morality whatsoever. The mindset has taken a form within my mind and communicates with me, emphasizing the fact that it is a part of me, and will never leave. For now, it seems to be content with watching, and adding its uncensored input.',"_ Glynda looked up at Ozpin and set the file down on the table, "That was ten months ago, who knows what could've changed since then? It's not out of the realm of possibility to believe Salem expected this type of development in Ace. What if she is counting on it?"

Ozpin narrowed his eyes as he remembered a few meetings he had with Ace, in which the two talked about the one-on-one time Ace had with Salem. She never seemed to reveal much about herself, always telling him he did not need that information, but it was clear that Ace still took Ozpin's descriptions of Salem with a grain of salt. He said a few things about Salem that worried Ozpin but seemed confident enough in himself to come out of hiding.

"Ace once told us that Salem claimed to know him better than anyone," Ozpin brought up, "If that is true, then Salem knows that the only way to get Ace would be to physically incapacitate him and fight their way out of Mistral. That's not her style. Ace has done nothing to lose our trust, and we should continue to have faith in him, until he gives us a reason not to. Besides, we need him to seem vulnerable. We must know how desperate Salem is. She knows that with Ace on our side, this was could finally end. It is risky, but I trust Qrow and Ace to make it out when things get messy."

Glynda looked down as she thought over Ozpin's response.

"And what of the innocents that will get caught up in the fight?" Glynda stated, obviously displeased with the risks associated with this stunt.

"This is the most efficient way to introduce Ace to the world," Ozpin dodged the real question, "If he is seen protecting, he could be the guardian that we need to ensure this uneasy peace, not the monster she tried to make into."

"And if he isn't guardian material?" Glynda asked, "What if he is more focused on revenge than he is about protecting the innocent?"

Ozpin's glasses shifted down his nose a bit as he looked down at Ace on the screen.

"We will always have his sister…"

 **Signal**

Ruby and Yang sat at the center of Signal's auditorium. All the 1000+ seats were full, with them right in the middle of the pack. Students lined the walkways as they all wanted to watch Ace's match against the famous Three Time Runner-up.

The auditorium was rocking as the camera focused on a grinning Ace. He rolled his neck as the commentators talked about how Ace was rumored to be Ozpin's personal pick for the tournament, getting the attention of some students.

"Hey, Yang," A boy called out from a few rows behind the sisters, the blonde turned to face who called out to her, "Is it true that Ozpin picked Ace?"

The auditorium seemed to focus on Yang as she nodded, earning a few gasps and many wide eyes.

"He sent my Uncle to talk him into it, but Ace apparently didn't need much convincing," Yang answered as a murmur started to break out. A few students looked up at their number one student on the screen, like they weren't sure of the story.

A boy that sat next to Ruby leaned over to her and nudged her to get her attention.

"Be honest," He said, "Does your brother have a chance of winning this?"

Ruby's eyes widened as she shot from her seat and stared up at the screen as it showed Ace's opponent.

"Of course, he's gonna win!" Ruby yelled, getting a cheer from Yang, "Just watch!"

A hush fell over the crowd in Mistral and Signal as the match's referee called to Ace and Valerie. He began to explain the rules of the match and they heard a door open behind them.

Ruby turned to see her father walk in the auditorium and glare at the collected students. His angry expression was amplified by his flaring Aura that wisped around him like a tornado.

"Don't all of you have class?!" Taiyang yelled, scaring a few students closest to him. Other's back away instinctually. It was known in Signal that Yang's temper was second only to her father's.

"Aw, come on, sir!" A boy called out from the front row, "Ace is about to fight!"

Taiyang looked up to see Ace and his opponent heading back to their sides of the floor. Valerie was very formal and tense, while Ace just trotted back to his assigned spot, like he didn't have a care in the world. He slowly closed the door behind him and leaned up against it.

"Well," Tai muttered, "When you put it that way…"

The students erupted into cheers as the countdown to the match began.

"Kick her butt, Ace!" Ruby yelled at the screen. Getting a round of cheers from the students as the beginning of the match drew near.

Yang grinned like a lunatic as she watched the timer tick down, bouncing in excitement as she saw Valeri fall into an offensive stance.

As soon as the clock hit zero, a horn blared, and the match began.

 **Mistral**

"3…2…1…BEGIN!" The voice over the speakers rang through the cheering arena.

Valeri blinked at the sound of the horn, but her eyes barely got a chance to open.

In a blur of black, Ace closed the distance between him and Valeri faster than anyone expected. He grabbed his opponent's face and slammed her into the ground, shattering her aura shield and knocking her out immediately.

The Three Time Runner-up was buried almost a foot into the solid concrete beneath her, with her feet pointing into the air as her body stuck into the ground like a javelin.

The horn didn't even get to finish before the crash from Ace's attack drowned it out.

Everyone in the area stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed as Ace rose his hand from Valeri's unconscious form and rolled his wrist nonchalantly.

"That was disappointing…" Ace muttered before he looked at the referee of the match, who stared at him with an almost comical expression of shock. He glanced up at the Aura Meters on the screen above them and saw that 98-percent of Valerie's Aura was depleted from his attack.

 _"I might have overdone it a bit,"_ Ace thought as a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. Deep in his mind, he heard a chuckle as a voice, very similar to his rang out in his ears, **_"I did tell you not to expect much from her…"_**

"Uhh," The ref stuttered before pointing at Ace, "The first match of the first round goes to Ace, of Vale!"

Ace smiled to the crowd as he made his way off the stage. Medical crews rushed to the unconscious Valerie, and Ace looked up into the contenders' boxes. He found the Untouchable Girl, staring down at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates and winked to her before hopping off the elevated platform and walking into the tunnel he came out of a few minutes ago.

In the Schnee Private Box, Winter and Weiss stared down at the girl being pulled from the crater Ace buried her in. The only other disturbance on the stage was where Ace launched from, having been shattered from the force of his launch. The Schnee sisters gazed down at the stage in awe as they tried to comprehend what they witnessed.

"W-Winter…" Weiss muttered, "What happened?"

Winter just shook her head. Even though she was a Specialist in the Atlesian Military, and Ace's movements were still nothing but a blur to her.

"I-I don't know…" Winter muttered as she tried to catch a glimpse of Ace before he entered the tunnel, "But I have a bad feeling about that one…"

Silence fell over the sisters as they watched the Medical Crews carry Valeri off the stage.

 **Signal**

The auditorium was deafeningly silent as the students watched Ace pull his hand off Valerie's face. The girl's eyes were blank, and her mouth looked like it was in the middle of a silent scream. Her arms and legs hung limp, though because of the angle she was at, her body remained upright, with her head and shoulders buried in the ground.

Yang was the first to snap out of the collective stupor, a massive smile returning to her face.

"HOLY SHIT!" Yang yelled as she shot her arms up in triumph. The rest of the students snapped out of their shock and started going crazy. They were cheering and laughing like they were in the crowd halfway around the world.

Ruby was jumping around with Yang as they watched the replay of the one-shot on the screen.

"Oh my God!" Ruby yelled as she hugged Yang, "That was amazing!"

Yang laughed at her sister before they turned their attention to the baffled commentators who were supposed to be analyzing the fight.

Tai couldn't help but laugh along with the students as he watched the replay of Ace defeating Valeri.

Ace had moved so fast, he was nothing but a blur to the camera.

Tai shook his head and laughed to himself.

 _"Did you see that, Summer?"_ Tai thought happily before walking out of the auditorium, _"You sure taught him how to send a message."_

The rest of the first round went off without anything interesting happening.

To say Pyrrha dismantled her opponent would be putting it lightly. Her opponent, a boy named Lancelot from Atlas, looked like an infant compared to her. He looked like he was moving in slow motion, next to Pyrrha. She beat him down in less than 30 seconds, with a string of attacks and blocks that showed just how formidable she really was.

After the match, Pyrrha tried to find Ace, but was told that he had left the arena to hang out with the teacher that accompanied him from Signal, until it was time for his next match that night.

Night fell, and the tournament snaked back around to Ace, after another dominating performance from the Untouchable Girl.

Ace was present to witness this fight, getting a firsthand experience to the beauty that was Pyrrha's fighting style. Her form was perfect, her attacks were powerful blurs that sent her opponent flying like a ragdoll. She used everything in her arsenal to perfection, even her shield which seemed to ignore the laws of physics at times. She dominated her fellow Sanctum classmate, showing everyone why she was called 'Walking Perfection'. He couldn't help but grin in anticipation, eager to face her down the line.

Ace was facing a boy named Kris, from Atlas. The boy was a bit taller than him, but rather lanky. He carried a bronze great sword on his back and won his first match by simply overpowering his much weaker opponent.

Kris stared at Ace for a few moments. It was clear that the boy was afraid of his mysterious opponent, but he did his best to hide it.

"Hey, Mantle-boy," Ace called out, even though Kris' name was all over the arena as they waited for the match to start, "You scared?"

Ace's taunted visibly angered Kris, making a certain voice ring out in Ace's head again.

 ** _"Are we going to play with this one?"_** The voice asked, obvious eager to see Ace mess with his obviously scarred opponent, **_"This could be entertaining…"_**

Ace grinned as he shook his head. Kris thought he was reacting to his obvious fear, but instead Ace responded to the voice calling out to him.

 _"I'm spoiling you…"_ Ace thought as he suddenly felt happier, for a rather obvious reason, **_"It's not like I'm forcing you to do anything…"_**

Another chuckle rang out as the voice died down and Ace focused on Kris.

"Shut up," Kris growled as he tightened his grip on his sword, "Why would I be scared of you?"

Ace gave Kris a deadpanned look.

"Well, I see you aren't the sharpest tool in the shed," Ace quipped, "Maybe you just need a demonstration. It has been a while since I fought. Damn, your attention span is even worse than mine, huh?"

Ace smiled at Kris, who looked ready to about ready to kill Ace.

The referee looked at the cocky expression on Ace's face and saw that Kris was almost in a blind furry now.

 _"So, he isn't just muscle,"_ Winter Schnee thought as she looked down at Ace's 'cocky' display, _"He noticed that his opponent seemed to get angry easily in the first match and is trying to use that against him. But why go through the trouble? Is he even taking this fight seriously?"_

Winter spared her sister a glance, only to see that Weiss' gaze was locked on Ace, not caring about whatever else was going on.

 **Signal**

It was almost midnight on Patch, but you wouldn't be able to tell by how alive the crowd in the auditorium was. Many of the same faces from before were present. Ruby and Yang were in the same spots as before, but Taiyang now sat to Ruby's right.

Even more students were present for this match than Ace's first, much to the sister's enjoyment. Students filled the seats and walkways while teachers stood in the back of the room having small conversations amongst themselves.

Tai laughed to himself as he heard how hyper Yang and Ruby were. Ace's first match swept through the school like a plague. Videos of his victory were on every scroll in the school by lunch, making all the students that missed his first fight, eager to see his second.

Naturally, even more people wanted to see what their #1 would do next, so they went to eat or got food to bring back to school, then gathered with the other students and teachers to watch Ace's second match.

"Hey, Dad," Ruby called out, "Do you think Ace will do the same thing he did in the first round?"

Tai scratched he splotchy beard and shook his head.

"Nah," Tai spoke, getting the attention from most of the people around him, "If I had to bet, I would say he is probably going to mess with this one. You know how cruel Ace can be at times. He will probably try to get some sort of amusement from this match."

Yang laughed with a few others that heard Tai.

"That sounds like Ace," Yang chirped as the camera zoomed in on her brother, "Look at that smile. He better not be doing anything sleazy during his free-time. He is with Uncle Qrow."

Tai's head dropped.

 _"I didn't even think of that…"_ Tai thought nervously as the referee began the countdown.

 **Mistral**

Pyrrha Nikos watched Ace like a hawk. She heard the countdown begin and was not going to miss the boy's lighting fast movements again.

"3…2…1…BEGIN!" The announcer yelled as a horn blared. Everyone stared not wanting to miss Ace's movements. Kris jumped before looking around frantically. He eventually saw that Ace hadn't moved and was just grinning like a mad-man.

"Oh, come on," Ace chuckled, "At least act like you aren't scared! Did you really expect me you use the same move?!"

Pyrrha could tell that it was all an 'act' for Ace. He knew that Kris stood no chance against him, but he still wanted to see the Mantle-boy at his best. He needed to anger Kris, so he would forget all about the fear that plagued him after what happened to Ace's first opponent.

"You bastard," Kris growled as he began to stalk towards Ace, "I'll cut that stupid grin right off your face!"

Kris charged at Ace in a blind rage, moving much faster than Ace expected.

Ace smirked as Kris raised his sword up to cut him in half. Aura flooded Kris' muscles as he closed in on his target.

"AHHH!" Kris yelled as he brought his sword down on Ace. The Vale Contender stepped aside with ease, resulting in an earsplitting clank from the sword meeting the floor. The tip of the sword cut into the floor but was quickly pulled out.

Ace had his arms behind his back and a grin on his face as he dodged a horizontal strike from Kris, then ducked to his right to dodge a diagonal slash.

"Come on," Ace taunted, "Is that really the best you can do?"

Kris growled and swung his sword faster. To the right, down, to the left, down, up.

Every time he swung, Kris' blade found nothing but air. Ace spun, ducked, side-stepped, and flipped over each and every attack the Mantle boy threw at him.

"DAMNIT!" Kris yelled as his sword shifted in his hand. He gripped the handle of an automatic rifle when the transformation was complete, "I'll kill you!"

Kris squeezed the trigger, but nothing happened. Faster than he could comprehend, his gun was cut into three pieces, and fell to the floor with a sick series of crashes and splutters.

"Come on," Ace grinned, "You didn't really think that I would just stand here and let you have all the fun, did you?"

In Ace's right hand was a pitch-black bowie knife that seemed to be dripping with some type of black Aura. The knife had a similar design to his swords, with the black of the blade only matched by the black energy radiating from it. Kris stood petrified in fear as Ace sheathed his blade on the small of his back, underneath his cloak.

"Well," Ace rolled his neck, "I guess it's time to finish this…"

Before Kris could respond, he felt like a car hit his stomach. He looked down to see that Ace's fist was lifting him off the ground from the force of the punch.

Kris let out a silent scream, but immediately was sent flying to the side, as Ace landed a spin kick to his left cheek. Before Kris got too far, Ace grabbed the boy's ankle and pulled him back for more.

Ace brought a punch down on Kris' face, the boy's aura doing little to protect him as pain swamped the weaponless boy.

Kris felt his body bounce off the ground like a rubber ball, before a familiar hand wrapped around his ankle again.

Rather than pulling Kris into another punch, Ace spun and threw Kris to the side, out of the ring.

Kris tumbled to the side until hit the wall and fell to the ground, though it was obvious that Ace was holding back on the throw.

"So, he does have a sense of mercy," Winter muttered as she saw Kris' unconscious form lay in a heap off the stage, "He angered his opponent to learn his limits, baited out his opponent's ranged weapon, then destroyed it while it was vulnerable. He had everything planned from the beginning."

Weiss just stared at Ace in awe as he was pronounced the winner of the match, and advanced to the Round of 32.

Ace gave a slight head bow and waved to the crowd, who applauded him as he walked off the stage.

"Why didn't he just end the match immediately?" Weiss asked, "I doubt that boy could've kept up with him."

Winter watched as Ace looked up and smiled at the Untouchable Girl.

"He's playing mind games," Winter pointed out, "He knows that it will come down to him and the Untouchable Girl. He hasn't revealed anything major, so he still has the upper hand, plus he is starting to get in her head. The boy is a genius…"

Weiss looked at her sister and saw a look of… admiration. She was in awe of this stranger.

Weiss felt jealousy swarm her as she watched Winter stare at Ace with a small smile.

 **Signal**

The auditorium full of students and teachers were laughing and celebrating Ace advancing to the next round.

Yang and Ruby were filming the crowd's reaction, so they could send it to Ace tonight, but it got interrupted when a they got a call from their brother.

"Everybody shut up!" Yang yelled, halting the celebrations clumsily, "Ace is calling!"

The crowd fell silent as Yang accepted the call, and Ace's face appeared on her scroll.

"How did I know you would be up?" Ace said with a grin, getting a laugh from his sister and the crowd.

"Like I would miss your match," Yang commented as she smiled at her brother, "Where are you? You just left the stage."

Ace smiled at his sister.

"Since I had the last match of the night," Ace started, "I just came back to the dressing room. I'm gonna give some people a chance to clear out before I meet up with Qrow."

Ace looked around his sister and saw that she wasn't in any place he recognized.

"What about you?" Ace asked, "Isn't it late?"

Yang smiled and turned the camera to show the students that were gathered to watch him. The collection of peers, friends, and family cheered/greeted Ace as smiled through the camera.

"What are all of you doing at school?" Ace joked, "It's hard enough to get you to go to class as it is, I didn't think you all would willing stay late."

The students and teachers laughed for a few seconds before Ace spoke up.

"Thanks guys, I hope you're all enjoying it so far," Ace smiled as he rose from the chair he was sitting in, "I will have another two matches tomorrow, so try not to fall too far behind in your classes."

The teachers were the ones to laugh at that joke as the students groaned, making Ace grin.

"Hey, Ace," Ruby leaned against her sister, so she could see Ace, "What do you think about the other competitors?"

Ace smiled at his sister for a second, then his expression turned a tad cocky.

"Most of them aren't anything to worry about," Ace looked up, sensing a presence in the hallway leading to him, "But, the Untouchable Girl is the real deal."

Yang and Ruby looked at Ace with narrow eyes. He rarely praised anyone, and honestly Pyrrha hadn't done anything that special yet. She decisively won both of her fights, but she hadn't shown her Semblance or anything that was particularly awe-inspiring.

"What do you mean?" A guy called out from behind Yang and Ruby.

"Well," Ace thought and rubbed his chin, "I can tell just from watching her that she is on a whole different level than the rest of the competitors. Everything she does is perfect. He blocks, attacks, dodges… She doesn't waste any energy, and never tips her hand. She hasn't revealed her Semblance yet, but she is already clearly my strongest opposition, even without it."

Yang and Ruby were stunned to hear it, but someone else behind them called out.

"Plus, she is smoking hot!" A guy's voice rang out, getting a cheer of approval from the other guys in the room.

Ace grinned, just like Qrow would.

"I know right," Ace agreed comically, "Her hair is gorgeous, and her eyes go perfectly with it! Plus, her choice in battle attire is something else."

Yang grit her teeth as she saw her brother grin at her and get a round of cheers from the guys in the room.

"You've been spending too much time with Qrow," Yang growled, and Ruby nodded cutely, angry at the fact that her brother seemed to be interested in the Untouchable Girl.

"All I'm saying is that I wouldn't mind ruining her moniker…" Ace joked, knowing it would anger Yang.

Yang growled at her brother's words.

"Oh, shut up!" Yang yelled before hanging up the call in a fit of rage. She was greeted from a round of laughter by the gathered guys, and annoyed expressions from many of the female students. She knew that Ace was likely laughing as well.

 _"He needs to stop hanging out with Qrow…"_ Tai thought as he palmed his face at Ace's words.

Just like Yang predicted, Ace was chuckling to himself as he put away his scroll and looked forward.

"You can come out now," Ace called out to the dark hallway. He heard a slight gasp, before a deep breath was taken, and the clicking of high-heels approached him.

Out of the hallway came Pyrrha Nikos, looking at Ace with a neutral expression and a faint shade of pink in her cheeks.

"Ah, Pyrrha Nikos," Ace smiled as he took a few steps towards Pyrrha. He made sure to give her enough room to feel comfortable, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Pyrrha looked at Ace for a few seconds, taking in the sight in front of her.

"Curiosity," Pyrrha said calmly, "Before today no one had even heard of Ace from Vale, but after what you did in the first two rounds, that is bound to change. I just wanted to meet you, see what you are really like."

Ace grinned at the Untouchable Girl. Internally, a certain personality was rearing its head again.

"Is that all?" Ace questioned as his eyes seemed to burn a bit brighter than before, "There was no other reason?"

Pyrrha felt herself flutter a bit, but it didn't show.

"What other reason would I have?" Pyrrha countered.

Ace chuckled as he took a slow step towards Pyrrha.

"Well," Ace started, "Fear and interest first off, but there are of course the more intimate reasons, though you don't seem like that type of girl."

Ace motioned to the seats behind him.

"Why don't we sit down?" Ace offered, "Unless you have somewhere to be…"

Pyrrha eyed Ace for a second before smiling.

"I'm free," The Untouchable Girl responded as she sat down in the chair that Ace had vacated just a few moments ago.

Ace grinned as he took the chair to the right of Pyrrha.

"So, Ace, tell me a little about yourself," Pyrrha said kindly as she crossed her legs and turned to face Ace.

"Not much to tell so far," Ace shared, "I live with a family that took me in on Patch and am a senior at Signal. I'm not quite sure where I would be without them… How about you Pyrrha? Tell me the myth of the Untouchable Girl."

Ace noticed the slightest of flinches in Pyrrha at the title.

"Nothing much in all honesty," Pyrrha smiled convincingly, "I graduate this year as well, and plan on attending Beacon next year."

Ace's eyebrow rose, his curiosity rising.

"Not Haven?" Ace asked with thinly veiled interest. Pyrrha nodded, noticing that Ace's curiosity was taking over.

"I wish to see more of this world," Pyrrha replied honestly, "I haven't left this Kingdom my entire life. I would just like to see how the rest of the world works before I become a Huntress."

Ace nodded as he pondered on Pyrrha's words.

"There are definitely some good spots," Ace said reminiscently, "Having been to three of the four Kingdoms, I can honestly say that it is an experience."

Pyrrha looked at Ace analytically, trying to get a read on the mysterious boy sitting next to her. She had been taught from an early age to how to tell when someone is lying, but the Lone Contender seemed to be telling the truth.

"I hope to see it for myself one day," Pyrrha said softly as she thought about her life so far. She had done nothing but train and study to be the best she could, but she didn't have a normal life. No one her age saw her as a friend or equal, they all saw her as superior or idol, making it exceedingly difficult to live a 'normal' life.

"You know it's rather obvious now that I sit down with you…" Ace started as he looked at Pyrrha with a sad smile, "You long to be treated like a normal girl, don't you?"

Pyrrha failed to hide her gasp, and Ace chuckled to himself.

"You should really learn to hide your emotions," Ace smiled as he looked over at the Untouchable Girl. Pyrrha blushed a little in embarrassment before Ace continued, "It must be hard. Coming from someone who has experienced loneliness before, I'm sorry people are so narrowminded."

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she listened to Ace. He saw through her and her 'perfect' exterior in a few minutes. He was nothing like she expected. She thought that he wouldn't give her the time of day, but she couldn't help but appreciate this side of him. This compassion was so different from the cocky prodigy she saw in the ring earlier. She almost felt attracted to this side of him.

Ace sighed as he looked up at the roof. He rose from his chair and offered a hand to Pyrrha.

"Ace," The boy said warmly as he smiled down at Pyrrha. The redhead felt her heart flutter as she met Ace's eyes again. She eventually smiled ack at Ace and took his hand.

"Pyrrha Nikos," The redhead said with a faint pink in her cheeks, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ace."

Ace smiled as he pulled Pyrrha to her feet, with the two making eye contact for a few seconds before releasing each other's hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Pyrrha," Ace joked as he began to walk towards the exit, "Make sure you get a good night's rest. I look forward to facing you in the finals."

Ace looked over his shoulder and flashed Pyrrha a smile.

"I'll put your name to the test," Ace chided as he slipped into the dark tunnel.

Pyrrha blushed at the double-meaning of Ace's words before she sat back down in the seat she had recently vacated.

 _"Just who are you, Ace of Vale?"_

Ace made it through the arena without being spotted, but as soon as he got out of the parking lot, he noticed that someone was waiting for him.

"Ace, of Vale," A woman called out. She was around his height, with pure white hair that rivaled Ace's. She had pale skin to match and wore a white overcoat and pants. Her light-blue eyes met Ace's for a second before she continued, "You sure know how to make a name for yourself…"

Ace eyed the woman and noticed that she was absolutely beautiful.

 _"How lucky can I get?"_ Ace thought, _"Not one, but two beauties sought me out in the same night. I should come to Mistral more often…"_

Ace heard a scoff from deep within his mind, knowing he would likely get an earful later.

Ace smiled as he noticed her Atlesian Rank.

"Well, well, well," Ace muttered as he took a step towards Winter, a grin appearing on his face, "What does an Atlesian Specialist want with little ole' me?"

Winter's eyes narrowed. He was just as perceptive as he expected.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Winter reassured, "No need to worry."

Ace chuckled.

"I wasn't," Ace said as he stepped towards Winter again. He took noticed of her saber on her hip and slender frame, "I could say the same to you."

Winter grinned at Ace's bravado.

"Easy there," Winter eyed Ace, "You've won two battles. You aren't a legend-"

"Yet," Ace finished for her, "And it's because you have only seen those two battles and nothing else, that you have sought me out. So, I am obviously making an impact, right?"

Ace smiled as he saw Winter's grin shrink. She looked annoyed, even if it was just for a second.

"You remind me of someone I'm not too fond of," Winter growled as she thought of a drunken old crow.

"And everything about you screams, 'I need to drink'," Ace replied as he began to walk away, "Follow me. I know a place."

Winter felt her blood boil as Ace walked away from her, just like that drunken bastard would.

"Where are you going?" Winter growled as Ace just motioned for her to follow, "I just wanted-"

"To talk," Ace cut in again, "And I would rather do that in a restaurant or a bar than out her in this alley."

Ace kept walking, forcing Winter to stalk after him. She grit her teeth and contemplated leaving, but something about Ace was spurring her curiosity.

Eventually, the pair made it to a small bar on the corner of two eerily, vacant streets. Ace opened the door and waved to the bar tender, who seemed to recognize him.

Ace slid the man some Lien.

"I'll just take a water, bring her something… surprising," Ace grinned as he got a nod from the bartender.

Ace took a seat at a table in the corner of the room. Winter noticed that the bar was empty, aside from her and Ace. She felt a little uneasy as she took the seat across from him, keeping her guard up.

"So, Winter," Ace said, pulling out her Military ID he had snagged when she walked past him as he held the door for her, "What can I do for you?"

Winter looked down and saw that her ID wasn't in her pocket like it usually was. Ace tossed it on the table, and the Specialist quickly grabbed it and put it away. She eyed Ace for a second, wondering when he took it, and how the hell she didn't notice.

"It's Ms. Schnee, or Specialist, to you," Winter corrected as she eyed Ace. The boy brushed off the glare as she continued, "I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

Ace nodded as the bartender brought a water for him and a bright red drink for Winter.

"I would like to know who exactly you are, Ace…" Winter started, "I would like to know why there are no records of you in any database, and what I did find, was classified.

Ace smiled as he sipped his water.

"That's rather aggressive," Ace joked, "I expected to start with some softballs. You know, build up rapport before we get to the nitty-gritty."

Winter remained calm, knowing that Ace was trying to rile her up.

"Please take this seriously," Winter remarked sternly, "Your answers determine what happens next."

Ace grinned as he looked up from his water.

"Careful now," Ace's eyes burned a little bright, shocking Winter, "I brought you here as a gesture of good faith. Threaten me again, and this place will be the last thing you see."

Winter rested her hand on her Saber as she responded.

"Your empty threats don't scare me," Winter replied calmly, "Now, answer my questions, or I will take you to Atlas and you will answer to our interrogators."

Ace sat back, seemingly unbothered by the Specialist's words.

"As fun as that sounds," Ace started as he leaned forward again, making eye contact with Winter, "You seem like much better company. I may not answer your questions, but I assure you, I am on your side. Give Ironwood a call and ask him about me. Everything you are about to ask, I assure you he already has."

Ace finished his water in a few gulps as Winter glared at him, looking for any crack in his façade.

"You will do as I say," Winter started, "Or I guarantee you will not like the consequences."

Winter stared into Ace's eyes before they suddenly vanished. Winter's eyes widened as she felt a gold metal against her throat. She looked down to see Ace's bowie knife pressing against her jugular, daring her to step out of line.

 _"That's your Semblance…"_ Winter thought. She was unsure if Ace had moved at such high speeds, or whether he had her mind under some sort of hypnosis the entire time, but it didn't matter. If she made any sudden movements, her blood would paint the table and Ace would make good on his threat.

"Now, now, Winter," Ace whispered in her left ear. Winter felt chills go down her spine as she felt Ace's warmth next to her and his breath on her ear, "You are going to do exactly as I say."

Ace pressed the blade against Winter's throat to remind her just how powerless she was in the current situation.

"You are going to go back to your hotel," Ace whispered dangerously, "Call Ironwood and ask him about me. You will listen to what he says, and should you decide to confront me again, I will make sure that it is the last thing you ever do."

Ace glanced up at the mirror, noticing that just the top of his face could be seen. His eyes were no longer white and gold, instead, the white that surrounded his irises was now black, like a certain Grimm Queen from his past. He took a deep breath that sent chills down Winter's spine, then opened his eyes again, revealing his usual white and gold.

 _"Not now,"_ Ace warned, but got no response. With a truly horrifying sound, Winter jumped.

And like that, the blade at Winter's neck disappeared, as did Ace.

Winter let out her held breath and turned around frantically to see that the boy was nowhere to be seen. She felt her neck as the slightest drop of blood ran down her neck, before her aura healed the cut.

Winter took a look at the drink in front of her for a second, then took a long sip as her heartrate started to fall again. She made a face of disgust as she looked down at the drink.

 _"Ew! What the fuck is this?"_ Winter thought as she tried to calm her raging thoughts about the terrifying presence Ace had before vanishing.


	4. Chapter 4: Looking Forward

**A/N: Hey guys, another late-night update. I'm trying to push through this plot line, but not sacrifice the quality I'm trying to establish, so bear with me, if I don't continue the daily updates for too much longer. I'm starting to get tome feedback from you guys, which is VERY much appreciated. I love to hear what you guys think, so keep me posted. This is a pretty long chapter, sitting around 9k words. There is a lot covered in this chapter, so let me know what you think.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter 4: Looking Forward**

The Mistral Regional Tournament continued the next morning, with Ace facing a swordsman from northern Mistral.

Before the match started, a number of the remaining combatants, and those Ace faced yesterday tried to get Ace kicked out of the tournament. They claimed that his heinous acts of brutality were unbecoming of a Huntsman in training, but Ace seemed more annoyed with the accusations than anything else. He was about to pick a fight when Qrow talked him and the other competitors down.

In the end, Ace was given a warning, and told that if he stepped out of lie again, he would be forced to forfeit his match and escorted back to Vale.

Ozpin took note of how angry Ace seemed to be, but he was more worried about violent retaliation from the irritable teen. He told Qrow to keep a close eye on Ace. It only took one competitor blabbing about Ace's warning to turn most of the crowd against him. He was booed when he entered the arena, and it didn't help that he was facing someone with a homefield advantage.

His opponent, Zhuan Zhu, was by far the strongest Ace had faced so far. He wore no armor and wielded a flaming longsword named _Yu Chang_. The flames would've burned any other combatant, but Ace for some reason was always unscathed, even when the sword would pass within inches of his exposed skin.

Unfortunately for Ryo, Ace seemed to be one step ahead of him the entire fight. His sword met nothing but air for about 30 seconds before Ace landed a series of jabs to pressure points, knocking him out without even breaking the Aura shield around Zhuan.

Ace had to admit, Zhuan was talented. His swordsmanship was the real deal, but he caught Ace at a bad time. If it had been yesterday, Ace might've had a true sword fight with his opponent.

Once again, the mysterious Lone Contender won in a dominating fashion. Rumors began to whirl about Ace being seen with some white-haired woman the night before, but no one could confirm it.

Said white-haired woman took her spot next to her sister again today. She watched Ae with the utmost caution. She spoke to Ironwood the night before and got an earful from her superior. He told her that under no circumstance was she to combat Ace. He didn't explain why she should be so worried about Ace, but Winter had never heard the General so frantic before. He seemed genuinely terrified of the Vale boy for some reason.

Pyrrha heard about the woman Ace was seen with after leaving the arena and wondered who she was. Maybe she was a sister, or friend. The rumor left a bad taste in her mouth, but she didn't let it affect her fighting. She won her two matches in a landslide, perhaps going a bit too far in an attempt to dispel some frustration. Her fights were even more impressive than Ace's fight against Zhuan, much to her satisfaction. She hadn't gotten the chance the talk to Ace yet, but she knew that he had the last fight of the night, just like he did yesterday.

Since the fights would be over earlier tonight, Pyrrha hoped for a chance to see the Lone Contender once more.

Leonardo Lionheart watched as Ace made his way onto the stage for the last fight of the night. He was facing a girl from Vacuo named Missy Everest. She used two daggers that could shift into standard 9-mm pistols with 12-round clips. She had demonstrated great marksmanship yesterday, something Ace was truly atrocious at. The girl hadn't shown her Semblance yet either, which was at another thing she had going for her.

Leo felt a bead of sweat go down his forehead as he remembered the conversation he had the night before.

 **Flashback**

Leonardo sat behind his desk, rubbing his head as he heard a very familiar voice call out to him.

 **"It would appear you could be useful to me sooner than we expected, Leonardo,"** The voice was silky-smooth, but cold as ice. A black orb floated before the headmaster with blackish-red tentacles flowing beneath it. The bottom of the orb was covered with shattered white grim armor and the orb seemed to glow orange as the voice resounded through the silent room.

"W-What would you have me do, M-My Lady?" Leo stuttered in fear as the orb approached him. He felt sweat bead on his brow and his heartrate hasten. She might not be with him in the room, but Leonardo could still feel the malice coming from the Seer in front of him.

A small laugh came through the orb as it began to grow brighter.

 **"All I need you to do is create an opening,"** Salem said through the orb, **"Hazel and Tyrion will deal with the boy."**

Leo nodded as the orb came to rest in front of him.

 **"Make sure you aren't discovered,"** The Seer stated with some annoyance, **"Surely, even you can manage that…"**

The orb began to float away, but Leonardo called out.

"M-My Lady," Leo stuttered, his curiosity getting the better of him, "Who is this boy? Why is he so valuable? S-Sure, he is strong, b-but he doesn't seem like anything special."

The orb sat in silence before it began to move away again.

 **"You're an even bigger fool than I thought, Leonardo..."**

 **Flashback End**

Leo looked at Ace as he stretched a bit down in the ring. He was lost in his thoughts, as was another group in the crowd.

"So, that's him?" A woman with crimson red hair asked a muscular man, with black hair to her right.

"It would appear so…" The man responded, "He has definitely made a name for himself so far. It's no wonder our Pyrrha has taken such an interest in him."

The redhead woman looked over at her daughter, who was standing at the front of the competitor's box, with the other six combatants that weren't fighting.

"Girls always do like bad-boys," The woman giggled as she saw the annoyed expression on her husband's face deepen, "Come now, Davos, this is nothing to be concerned about. It's normal for girls her age to take an interest in boys. Especially boys that look like that."

Leda Nikos looked down at Ace and smiled. She could see just how Ace had caught her eye, and if what her daughter said was true, he was more than just a pretty face.

The parents felt guilty for not attending the tournament yesterday, but Pyrrha reassured them that it was fine many times on the way here this morning. Leda was a successful business woman and ex-huntress, while Davos was an active duty huntsman and part-time teacher at Sanctum.

"I still can't believe that she wants to invite him over for dinner," Davos growled, "He is her enemy. She should be focusing defeating him, not befriending him."

"Don't be like that, Davos," Leda teased, "If what we hear is true, Pyrrha could really use a friend."

Davos nodded grimly. He had heard the rumors about his daughter. She was the most gifted fighter in a generation, but she always had difficulty interacting with others her age. They never saw her as a friend, or even a normal person for that matter. Many were jealous of her and even more felt like she should be worshiped.

Pyrrha never let the praise get to her head, but the loneliness did take its toll on her. She had become so desperate for friends, she was willing to invite Ace to her house, just because in the one conversation they had, yet, Ace did seem different from everyone else.

"I suppose…" Davos relented, "Though she couldn't have chosen a girl, or a nerdy boy? This one is… odd."

Leda nodded.

"I know what you mean," Leda confirmed, "But I think it is for the better if we just let the chips fall as they may. Just be ready in case he isn't how she expected…"

Davos nodded as he watched Ace stare down Missy as the ref restated the rules.

Ace felt his head throb as he hid his pain. The match was about to begin, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. He thought back to the conversation he had with Qrow in the dressing room before this match.

 **Flashback**

Qrow came rushing into the room and spotted Ace sitting on the same chair he had the night before, when Pyrrha came to introduce herself. He made his way over to the hunched over boy and knelt down in front of him.

"What's wrong, kid?" Qrow asked, seeing Ace's statuesque stillness.

Ace looked up and made eye contact with Qrow, making Ace's eyes widen as Ace's left eye was black as night with his usual golden irises.

"You said you had it under control!" Qrow chastised as Ace looked back down. Qrow stood up and rubbed his chin, "You can't go out there like this. You have to get it under control now!"

Ace nodded as he grunted in pain. He released his hold on the malice within him and Qrow felt lightheaded for a second. He regained his bearings and felt the smothering darkness flood the air, before retreating back within Ace, leaving the boy panting and covering his bleeding left eye.

"I don't have much time left, Qrow," Ace muttered, "Sooner or later, I will need to let him out…"

Qrow sighed and pulled out his flask, taking a long sip, before extending it to Ace. The boy took it and sipped slowly, feeling the cheap liquor burn his throat on the way down. He closed the flask and tossed it back to Qrow.

"I thought you said we had more time?" Qrow questioned, "What did Summer do when this happened the first time?"

Ace just shook his head.

"She never explained it to me," Ace muttered as he wiped the sweat from his face and got up, "The two of us are trying to become one again. He isn't even forcing it like he tried to the first time."

Ace heard a scoff inside his head.

" **I still don't know why you insist I'm the evil one here,"** The voice called out to him, **"It was Summer that separated us with that damn power of hers. You know we are two parts of the same whole. It is natural for us to reconnect after all these years."**

Ace sighed as he tilted his head back and pushed his head back.

"Can you keep him on check for the remainder of the tournament?" Qrow asked, knowing that if he couldn't then they would have more problems than just a pissed off Ozpin. He still questioned why he let Ace talk him into keeping this from Ozpin, but they could really use some of that eternal wisdom Ozpin loves to spout out.

Ace nodded.

"He seems to be working with me for the time being," Ace answered, "I've just been trying to keep him happy, so I don't have to fight a war on two fronts."

Qrow sat down in the seat Ace vacated and sighed. Ace took a deep breath and felt his heartrate return to a normal pace.

"That's why you have been so irritable lately," Qrow surmised, getting a brief nod from Ace, "Why are you letting him reconnect with you so easily? Summer separated the two of you for a reason."

Ace grinned sadly for a second, looking up at the roof. He couldn't help but feel like he was betraying Summer by reconnecting with the part of his psyche she sealed away.

"I need his power," Ace muttered as he took a deep breath and looked back at Qrow, "I need him on my side. If I have to crack a few skulls, then so be it. I can't go into the fight against Salem when I haven't even accepted my true nature."

Qrow shook his head and looked up at Ace.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Ace," Qrow grumbled, "I'm not sure how much longer I can cover for you if things keep going this way…"

Ace just nodded and down the hall towards the stage, sparing a quick glance back at Qrow before exiting the dressing room.

 **End Flashback**

Ace stared at Missy, feeling more at ease right now than he had all night. He felt a surge of excitement flood his system as the beginning of the fight drew near, knowing that this was something he would have to get used to.

 **Signal**

The same crowd from the night before was gathered to watch today's final match.

Yang and Ruby were in the center of the crowd once again, being bombarded with questions about Ace and what he is capable of. He had made quite a name for himself with his rather… efficient methods of ending fights, and a few of the students that didn't like him, said that his true nature was coming out of him.

Yang and Ruby rushed to their brother's defense but didn't really have an explanation as to why Ace was acting this way. Sure, at times he was a bit of a dick, but it was mostly to annoy them, and not really his true nature.

The two sisters didn't know much, and their father didn't fill in the blanks either, much to their annoyance. He obviously knew Ace's Semblance, fighting styles, and maybe even why he was acting this way, but he refused to reveal it.

"Stop with the questions," Yang instructed as she pointed to the screen, "The match is about to being."

The students redirected their attention forward and saw that the countdown had already started.

Ace was getting booed by the crowd, while Missy seemed to zone out everything but her opponent. He long black hair blew in the wind, along with her baggy beige pants, and loose black shirt. He weapons were holstered on her

"Yang," Ruby said softly, tugging on her sister's sleeve to get her attention, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Yang looked at her sister, a bit confused at first, before she pulled her sister into a one arm hug, rather roughly.

"Don't worry about it, Sis," Yang reassured, "He'll be fine, just like always."

 **Mistral**

 **(OST: Cynthia no Hikari [Nightcore] - Aoi Eir)**

Pyrrha watched anxiously as the countdown clock reached zero.

Immediately, Missy slammed her bare, right foot into the ground, and a dome of three-foot thick concrete surrounded her, removing her from everyone's sightline.

Everyone looked at the dome in confusion, but a select few understood what was happening.

"She can control rock," Winter muttered. She could tell that Ace came to the same conclusion but was interested as to why Missy used her trump card so early in this fight.

"Oh fuck," Ace muttered as he felt a rumbling in the ground and launched into the air instinctually, just as massive, stone jaws came out of the stage and clamped down on the air where Ace was just moments ago.

"That is terrifying," Ace chuckled as he drifted in the air. He was over 30 feet in the air, much to everyone's disbelief. He had instinctually flooded his muscles with Aura to speed up his movement, truly being put on the defensive for the first time in this tournament. He fell back down to the stage, and felt the same rumbling, though this time, the ground beneath him began to crumble and fall. He began to flip backwards in a series of handsprings and backflips to beat the growing crevice that chased him.

Ace eventually sidestepped feeling Aura gather behind him. He narrowly dodged spikes that formed in his path, keen on turning him into a pin cushion. He spun and evaded the spikes with the grace of a dancer, before jumping over another crevice that appeared to his right, only to duck under another beartrap-like set of jaws that would've turned his destroyed his torso.

As he looked down, Ace saw three tentacles of earth floating around the dome Missy was buried under.

 _"She obviously can sense where I am somehow…"_ Ace thought as he felt the ground beneath him turn to mud, _"Shit!"_

Ace looked up to see the three tentacles of earth slam into him and knock up a dust cloud that covered the stage.

Weiss and Winter leaned forward. This was the first time anyone had Ace on the run. Missy obviously had this match planned out, and it seemed like Ace was scrambling to figure out a way to counter her ability.

"That's an amazing Semblance," Weiss muttered in awe. Winter nodded as she saw a few more tentacles of earth rise from the ground and shoot into the dust cloud.

"She seems to have near perfect control over her attacks as well," Winter looked up to see that even though Missy hadn't taken any hits, her aura was nearly a fourth depleted, "Though it is also a double-edged sword."

Weiss followed Winter's eyes but saw that Ace's meter hadn't dipped at all.

"He somehow dodged that attack…" Weiss muttered as she looked back to the dust cloud that was not clearing. She saw a long black staff with gold detailing spin around a pair of tanned hands.

"Or he blocked it…" Winter countered when she saw Ace holding a two-meter staff in his right hand and tons of rubble surrounding him. He was now out of the mud and seemed to be standing on two larger pieces of rubble, in case Missy turned the ground into mud again, "No matter, he's starting to come up with a plan of attack."

Ace glanced up at the screen with his and Missy's Aura Meters and saw that his opponent was sacrificing her defensive capabilities for an all-out offensive assault.

 _"I could just out last her,"_ Ace thought as he saw a few more tentacles of rock rise from the ground, _"if she seems too smart to fall for such simple tactics. I have to end this myself."_

In Signal, Ruby watched as Ace slipped into a familiar stance.

"He's about to charge!" Ruby yelled, making everyone's eyes widen.

Yang looked over at Ruby for a second and noticed that Ace had copied Ruby's stance from when she would spar against him with _Crescent Rose._

"How is he going to get through?" A boy behind the sisters asked, "She is shielded by a bunch of rocks, and can just keep him away with those tentacles!"

Ace suddenly blurred forward, shattering the ground around him as he took off.

Immediately, the tentacles shot forward to intercept him, but Ace's reactions were faster. He slid under the first one that would've smashed into his chest, then rolled on top of second one that was aimed a bit lower that the first.

Ace took five steps to build up his power, then jumped into the air, getting nearly fifty feet above Missy's dome of rock. A dozen spikes formed around Missy's dome, then fired out blindly, trying to keep Ace away.

 _"She can feel vibrations through the ground,"_ Ace concluded as a he saw most of the spikes fly away from him.

Ace spun to avoid the lone spike that would've hit him, then cocked back his staff, pointing the bottom speared tip towards the dome.

 _"Right now, you have no idea where I am,"_ Ace's eyes narrowed as he saw a few more tentacles rise out of the ground and covered the dome protectively.

Ace channeled aura into his right arm and the staff, then launched his weapon forward in a blur of black.

The staff busted through one of the tentacles that was protecting the dome, the went through the dome like it was an eggshell. The staff punched through and a sick **SQUELCH** was heard as the arena went silent.

Many fans held their breaths as the rock tentacles froze I place, then began to crumble. The dome protecting Missy started to crumble around the hole like ruins, revealing the black-haired girl and her clothes, stained red with fresh blood.

"She's lucky," Winter muttered to Weiss, "She moved out of the way, so the staff only pierced her shoulder. Had she been even a second slower, that staff would've buried itself in her chest and this match would be over. He's too good. Is he trying to kill somebody?!"

Ace landed about 20 feet to Missy's right and looked up to see that the girl still had about 40-percent of her Aura.

"You're even stronger than I expected," Missy muttered as she held her right shoulder. Her Aura was hard at work healing the wound, but the staff was nearly a foot into the girl's shoulder and she hadn't pulled it out yet, "I should've committed to a full offensive assault from the start…"

Missy reached her left hand up and pulled out Ace's staff, gasping in pain as many in the crowd grimaced. Blood covered her slim frame as she grit her teeth to keep from screaming. Once the staff was finally out, Missy dropped it at her feet, so she could keep it far away from Ace, and the hole in her shoulder began to heal. She looked up to see that Ace still had full Aura, while she was down below a third.

"Except now you only have your knife," Missy muttered, drawing attention to the fact that Ace's swords in their staff form, now laid at her feet, "I won't lose!"

Missy slammed her hands into the ground and a dozen stone tentacles launched at Ace, along with a slew of spikes.

Ace's eyes widened for a second, before he shifted his stance into something Qrow and Tai never expected to see again, and a few others had only heard of.

"Th-That stance…" Winter muttered as she could believe her eyes. She had seen this once before, when Summer Rose saved her and her team from a horde of Grimm in their first year.

"What?" Weiss asked desperately, "What is he doing?"

Winter couldn't answer as she was fully focused on Ace. He stood perfectly still with his left hand extended just a bit and his right hand pulled back over his chest. He turned sideways to shrink the target area, and Missy nearly felt his feet disappear from the ground, like he was becoming one with the air. Ace began to dodge the spikes that arrived first.

Ace spun around the first two spikes, ducked under the third, jumped over the fourth, fifth, and sixth, then caught the seventh and eighth. He was forced to flip back to avoid the first tentacle of rock that slammed into the ground he previously occupied.

Immediately, Ace flipped forward again to dodge the second and third tentacle, which slammed into each other, erupting into a cloud of dust to block Ace's vision.

"Oh shit!" Yang yelled as she saw Ace disappear in another dust cloud, just this time, he didn't have his swords.

The remaining nine tentacles barreled into the dust cloud and slammed into the ground, as Ace came shooting forward out of the dust, having dodged or blocked all the attacks.

Missy's eyes widened before three large spikes rose from the ground like stakes, keen on stopping Ace's advance.

Ace cocked back his right hand just before he reached the spikes, covering it in a golden Aura, dense enough to sink in Mercury, and slammed his fist into the center spike.

Stray rock flew towards Missy like shrapnel from a bomb, dazing her and forcing her to cover her face. Less than a second later, Missy felt a cold metal on her neck and looked down to see Ace's knife at her throat and heard the referee.

"Missy Ernest's Aura is depleted," The referee pointed his hand to the right, "Ace, of Vale is the winner."

Ace pulled his knife back and smiled at Missy.

 **(OST END)**

"Good fight," Ace smiled at Missy as he sheathed his knife, then reached down and picked up his staff, "That's a hell of a Semblance."

Missy stared at Ace for a few moments, then saw that his Aura was not full anymore. He had a few bruises each his arms, and a cut on his right arm. She had cut him…

Ace turned and smiled at Missy, then looking at the destruction she caused. Thank Oum the crews would have until tomorrow morning to patch up the floor.

"You're one tough bastard," Ace complemented with a genuine smile as he wiped off the blood from his staff, "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Missy just nodded dumbly. She was angry that she lost, but still, she was the first to wound him. She watched as the bruises on his arms dispersed and the cut closed. She proved that he wasn't unbeatable.

Ace turned to the crowd and waved to the stunned audience. He looked up and saw Winter staring down at him with a stern expression. He grinned before he turned to see a smiling Pyrrha gazing down at him as he made his way to the prep room like he did the night before.

Winter shook her head and sighed as she sat down in a chair next to Weiss.

"How the hell did he make it through all of that without revealing his Semblance?" Winter muttered in annoyance. She was pretty sure that his Semblance was teleportation, but it was hard to confirm with her limited exposure to it.

"He's strong," Weiss muttered as she watched Ace walk back into the tunnel.

"Very," Jacques added with narrow eyes, speaking for the first time in hours.

 **In Signal**

Yang, Ruby, and the rest of the students were celebrating yet another one of Ace's victories. This one might have been the most impressive yet. His opponent seemed to have the absolute advantage for a majority of the fight, but Ace still managed to pull out a win.

Yang took a break from her celebrating to spare her father a look.

Tai looked rattled. He was muttering something to himself as he stared at the replay of the fight on the screen. Yang made her way out of the crowd and to her father, who was leaning on the wall next to the exit.

"Dad," Yang pulled her father out of his stupor, "What's wrong?"

Tai nodded towards the screen, just in time for Yang to see Ace slip into his unarmed stance before dodging the barrage of attacks Missy launched in her last-ditch effort to defeat Ace.

"Th-That was Summer's style…" Tai muttered, making Yang's eyes widen, "No one was ever able to learn it. No one could predict attacks well enough to use it…"

The film slowed down to show how narrowly Ace dodged most of the spikes and tentacles. Even when he was looking away, Ace knew where the attacks were coming from, and moved just enough to dodge them.

"Th-That was mom's style?" Yang asked in disbelief as she turned to her father. She got a slow nod as they stood there in silence, "Did she teach him that?"

Tai took a deep breath.

"She would've told me…" Tai muttered, "No, he had to have taught himself. It looks like he still has room to perfect it. Summer wouldn't have been touched by any of those attacks."

The pair looked at the screen to see the camera focus on the blood running down Ace's arm and the few bruises that peppered the exposed skin.

Tai and Yang stood there is stunned silence as the rest of the crowd celebrated.

 **Mistral**

Ace relaxed in the same chair he sat in yesterday and let out a deep sigh. Qrow was gone, like Ace expected, probably leaving as soon as the fight was over. He hated crowds even more than Ace.

 _"That was close,"_ Ace thought as he replayed the match in his head, _"Her power would go nicely with my other two…"_

Ace was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a familiar clicking coming down the hall.

"That was quite impressive," Ace heard a familiar voice call out to him as he grinned, "You should've heard the other contestants. You might as well be the monster under their beds."

Ace opened his eyes to see Pyrrha Nikos, standing in front of him confidently with a hand on her hip and a beautiful smile gracing her features.

"They wouldn't be entirely wrong," Ace joked, getting a giggle from Pyrrha, "Maybe I am a monster."

Ace got up from his seat and took a few steps towards Pyrrha.

"You seem tense, even though you are hiding it," Ace said as he eyed Pyrrha, "Is there something you need?"

Ace noticed Pyrrha's confidence shatter like glass as he called her out. She started to mumble a bit and her face turned red.

Ace grinned at the bumbling Spartan and took a few steps towards her, invading her personal space. He was unsure why he was acting this way. He wanted to blame it on his reconnection to his other persona, but he couldn't help but enjoy what he was doing.

"I'm sorry," Ace muttered, "I'm gonna need you to speak up."

Pyrrha didn't dare meet Ace's eyes. She knew he had on a cocky smirk she had seen before, but she needed to invite him over. She was committed. She knew that if she backed down now, her mother would tease her relentlessly.

"Ace!" Pyrrha said a little too loudly, "Would you please come over tonight and meet my family!"

Ace started at Pyrrha for a few seconds, the girl's cheeks were about as red as her hair at this point, just adding to her overall cuteness. He flushed a bit as well, before he chuckled to himself as he stepped back from the Untouchable Girl.

"Wow, Pyrrha," Ace muttered jokingly, "I didn't know we were already at that level in our relationship…"

Pyrrha's blush deepened somehow as Ace grinned at the embarrassed Spartan. She stared at her feet as she tried to mutter something, but the words got caught in her throat.

"I'm just joking Pyrrha," Ace offered as he put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, making the girl jump slightly, "It would be my pleasure."

Pyrrha looked up with a smile. This was the first time that she would have a friend over for dinner and she was more than a little excited.

Before she realized what she was doing, Pyrrha hugged Ace without warning. She felt the boy's steel-like physique, but grinned as she was overwhelmed with happiness at the moment.

"Oh, thank you!" Pyrrha said as she pulled away and looked up at Ace with a delighted smile, "Just follow me!"

Pyrrha took Ace's hand, making Ace flush again. She pulled him down a maze of hallways before they reached the combatant's entrance/exit.

It was then that Ace, pulled his hand from Pyrrha's and the Spartan realized what she was doing. Her faced burned crimson as Ace offered an awkward chuckle.

"How about you tell me your address, and I meet you there?" Ace said as he heard the horde of paparazzi outside waiting for the two of them, "If we leave together, who knows what everyone will say."

Pyrrha nodded awkwardly before taking out her scroll and handing it to Ace.

"Please put your number in here," Pyrrha said as calmly as she could, "I will send you my address."

Ace nodded and filled out the contact information. He handed Pyrrha her scroll, before smiling at the still blushing Spartan.

"Alright," Ace said happily, "I will let you know when I leave. I'll see you later."

Ace gave Pyrrha one last smile before he walked out the door and was bombarded with flashes of cameras and scrolls. His ears filled with questions, but he forced a smile and waved to the collected crowd before he walked down the path his designated vehicle.

Ace plopped down into his seat and noticed the drunk huntsman sitting next to him.

"They sure do make a big deal out of a few brats," Qrow grumbled as he looked at the paparazzi outside, "Don't let it get to your head, kid."

Ace chuckled as he told the driver to go back to their hotel.

"You okay being on your own tonight?" Ace asked, getting a confused look from Qrow.

"Where the hell do you plan on going?" Qrow responded, staring down Ace. It was obvious that Qrow was worried about Ace going anywhere following the episode he had earlier.

Ace let out a sigh.

"I got invited to go over to someone's house tonight for dinner," Ace answered, "I will likely be there for a few hours."

Qrow nodded before he took another sip.

"Who's the lucky lady?" Qrow asked as Ace's scroll went off showing he had an unread message. The huntsman saw a picture of Pyrrha Nikos show up next to an address, making him spit out the whiskey in his mouth, "The Untouchable Girl?!"

Ace just chuckled as he mapped out the path to Pyrrha's house.

"Yeah," Ace answered with a smile.

Qrow looked over at Ace before he sighed.

"You got some balls, kid," Qrow grumbled as took another sip, "You sure you're okay to go out right now?

Ace nodded before he looked over at Qrow, looking to shift the topic of conversation.

"How are you doing?" Ace asked, getting the silent treatment from Qrow, "How many times do I have to tell you it's not your fault?"

Qrow just looked out the window and took another sip. Ace sighed.

"How many years has it been?" Ace asked as he closed his eyes.

"Six," Qrow grumbled softly, "It should have been me…"

Ace shook his head.

"Everything happens for a reason," Ace muttered as he looked over at the drunk huntsman, "You just have to make the most out of your time here."

Qrow looked over at Ace and saw that his eyes were sad, remembering the woman that singlehandedly changed his life.

"You still have a beautiful daughter, Qrow," Ace muttered, making Qrow shrink as he thought about the last real member of his family, "I understand why you did it, but one day, you really should tell her."

Qrow just shook his head.

"I have no right to…" Qrow muttered as a few tears ran down his cheeks, "I'm just the guy that couldn't save her mother…"

Ace sighed as he took the flask out of Qrow's hand.

"It's better that she hears it from you," Ace offered, "I know you do what you can, but she idolizes you, Qrow. When she finds out, it's gonna devastate her. It has to be you that she hears it from."

Qrow just sighed as he looked over at Ace. He had this wonderful way of moving his lips but having Summer's voice come out.

"I hate how perceptive you are," Qrow grumbled as he leaned back in his seat, remembering when Ace approached him and Summer to ask if Ruby was really Tai's daughter.

"I hate it too sometimes," Ace agreed, "After all, ignorance is bliss…"

 _"But we can never really go back, can we?" Ace thought, **"No, we can't…"**_

A few hours later, Ace knocked on the door of a rather opulent-looking house. The pillars in the front of the mansion reminded Ace of religious temples from ancient stories. The yard, walkway, and painting in the front of the house were all perfect.

Ace was dressed in a plain, white dress shirt with a black tie, and black pants. He heard some shuffling behind the door, and heard the locks unlock before the large mahogany door opened up.

"Hello, Master Ace," An old man in a nice suit greeted with a deep bow, "We have been expecting you. Please, come in."

The man stepped aside, revealing a very regal interior design, with marble floors, fancy artwork, dozens of portraits, and elegant carpets in the hallway.

"My name is Sebas," The butler offered (Sebas from Overlord), "I have served the Nikos Family for ten years. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ace smiled at Sebas before offering a hand to the old man.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sebas," Sebas shook Ace's hand before he smiled at the young man.

"I hear a certain young lady has taken quite a liking to you," Sebas smiled as he saw Ace fluster a bit, "I must say, she could definitely do worse."

Ace chuckled with the butler, though it was obvious that he was a bit nervous about the situation.

"That's reassuring," Ace muttered, "I guess."

Sebas laughed again before taking a step forward.

"Please, follow me," Sebas instructed, "The dining room is just this way."

Ace nodded as he followed Sebas through another extravagantly-decorated hallway.

 _"I'm sure glad I dressed up a bit,"_ Ace thought as he approached the dining hall. He saw a tall man with a rather muscular build sitting at the head of the table. He had black hair, and a beard-mustache combination that screamed 'manly-man'. He wore very similar clothes to Ace, but instead, he had on a red tie, and khaki pants.

Next to the man was a woman in a stunning black dress that hugged her figure. She was slender, but bountiful in the desired areas, and had the same beautiful crimson hair as Pyrrha. She had her hair down in a simple braid and looked up with a smile.

"Master Davos, Lady Leda," Sebas bowed, "Allow me to introduce you to Master Ace."

Sebas stepped aside and Ace stepped forward taking in the sight of the room and bowing his head slightly.

"It's an honor to meet you two," Ace bowed his head respectfully. Leda smiled at the handsome man her daughter brought home, and Davos just eyed the boy.

"The honor is all ours," Leda offered, "Please, sit with us. Pyrrha should be joining us soon."

Ace nodded and took the seat opposite from Davos. The parents watched his every move, leading Ace to hide his nerves under a grin.

"I must say," Ace started, turning to Leda, "I definitely see where Pyrrha gets her beauty from."

Leda smiled at Ace's flattery, but Davos didn't seem as amused. Ace turned his focus to the father that was currently trying to kill him with a gaze.

"And I can tell that you must have given her your combat prowess," Ace stated as he seemed to be analyzing Davos, "Your Aura feels just like hers. The presence the two of you have is powerful, almost overwhelmingly so."

Davos' eyebrow raised slightly at the boy's comment. He had heard similar statements from sensors in the past but didn't expect Ace to have that particular talent.

"You can sense the specifics of someone's Aura?" Davos' interest was well hidden, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Yes sir," Ace responded, "You and Pyrrha seem to resemble a majestic beast. There is a commanding power, yet elegance to it. Mrs. Nikos on the other hand seems almost invisible to me. It took a 'second look' so to speak for me to finally notice her aura signature. You must be quite skilled in stealth to be able to hide your Aura so well."

Davos' eyes widened as he listened to Ace's explanation. His wife was known among her peers for her absurd Aura control. She could mask it completely to even the strongest of sensors. He knew that it was second nature for his wife to hide her presence after all these years, but for Ace to catch into that was shocking nonetheless.

Ace rose from his seat and got a questioning look from Davos.

"It would be offensive to not greet your daughter on my feet," Ace offered, impressing Davos with his manners.

Just like Ace predicted, Pyrrha walked out of the same hallway Ace did, in a jaw-dropping red, sleeve-less dress with a high cut on her right leg.

Ace's eyes widened, and his heartrate quickened.

Davos was too busy staring at his daughter in shock. He never expected Pyrrha to pull out this dress. She had been saving it for a formal dance, or her prom should she get asked by a suitable young man.

It was Leda who noticed Ace's reaction. Though it was gone in a second, Leda couldn't help but smile as she knew the intended impression had been made.

Ace approached Pyrrha with a smile and was graced with one in return. She still wore her headpiece from her battle uniform, but it just pulled everything together. With her heals, and Ace's lack of combat boots, she was just an inch shorter than her guest.

"Thank you for coming, Ace," Pyrrha said with a small smile as Ace took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Pyrrha did her best to hide her blush, but her mother saw the initial reaction, just like she did with Ace.

"Thank you for inviting me," Ace countered as he stood back up and walked with Pyrrha to the table. He pulled out her chair for her and helped her push it back in before sitting back down across from the reluctantly impressed father.

Davos didn't show it, but Ace's first impression was definitely positive. Ace was a strong fighter and gentleman. Rather than ogling his daughter like so many others did, Ace reacted appropriately and did everything that a man should. Sure, there were those out there that were frightened by his "brutal" tactics during his fights, but Davos respected it. He had personally fought in the Great War, and knew that Ace might not be your typical Huntsman, but he would make a great warrior.

"Now that we are all here," Davos started, "How about we get our meal started?"

Leda nodded, as did Pyrrha as a few more servants came out of the kitchen with the first course of their meal. A soup that was steaming in front of each of them, and a small roll of bread to accompany it.

Davos led a prayer but noticed that Ace said another short prayer after his was compete. He decided to hold that question for later and broke the ice.

"So," Davos looked up at Ace, seeing the boy take a sip from his glass of water, "I must admit, I am very impressed with your combat prowess. Who had the privilege of teaching you?"

Ace smiled grimly as he set down his glass.

"I trained with a woman named Summer, and her husband, Taiyang for a year," Ace looked down at the steaming soup, "But after Summer passed away, I began to train on my own."

Davos nodded and chastised himself internally for asking that question now that he knew the outcome.

"That is rather impressive," Leda jumped in, "For you to be so skilled even though you taught yourself. Pyrrha has trained with some of the best teachers Mistral has to offer…"

Ace smiled as he looked over at Pyrrha.

"And I think the results more than speak for themselves," Ace grinned as he saw Pyrrha flush a bit at the compliment, "I look forward to facing her in the Finals."

Davos raised an eyebrow at Ace once again.

"You seem rather confident in your chances of getting there," Davos pointed out calmly, getting a grin from Ace.

"I have faith in my abilities," Ace offered confidently, "After all, one of the reasons I came here was to face Pyrrha. She is widely regarded as the strongest fighter in our generation. Forgive me, but my curiosity did get the better of me…"

Pyrrha looked over at Ace, noticing that he was being honest. She looked down at her food in thought. There was a very real possibility that the two of them could be facing each other at this time tomorrow.

"Well," Davos said, "I hope we get to see it."

Ace smiled as he raised the still steaming soup to his mouth, not even flinching as the piping hot liquid entered his mouth.

Davos noticed this but didn't say anything.

 _"Is his Semblance fire related?"_ Davos thought, unable to shut off the analytical side of his brain.

"Well, Ace," Leda spoke up with a smile, "What about your family? Pyrrha told us that you are living on Patch."

Ace nodded.

"I actually live with Taiyang and his two daughters," Ace said nonchalantly, Pyrrha's ears perked up at that. Ace was living with two girls he wasn't related to, "I can never truly repay what their family did for me."

Leda and Davos immediately could tell that Ace's life before he met Summer and Taiyang must have been rough. They didn't want to invade his privacy, but they made a mental note to bring it up with Pyrrha, see if she knew anything about it. Maybe his past had something to do with the initial unease they felt when they first saw Ace.

"What are the two daughters like?" Davos caught onto his daughter's curiosity, though she lacked the confidence to ask the question herself.

"That's a rather loaded question," Ace started with a smile, "Yang is the older of the two. She is my age. She is always talking about how she wants to be a Huntress and go on adventures around the world. She loves to fight and train, but she is rather hot headed. Sometimes it's harder to keep her out of a fight than to settle the dispute itself."

Ace grinned as he thought about all the scraps him and Yang had gotten in over the years. They had gotten in trouble at Signal on a number of occasions for fighting when they weren't permitted to, even being suspended once, when Yang and Ace beat up a few guys that tried to peep on her.

Ace rarely started the conflicts, but Yang had a habit of dragging him into it, for better or for worse.

"Ruby is the younger sister," Ace explained, "She is fourteen, and a total weapons-nut. She has a weapon, _Crescent Rose,_ that she treats like a baby _._ She does seem like the odd man out at times, because Yang and I are a bit older, but she is very talented for her age. I've seen her hold her own against Yang, who is the second ranked fighter in our school. Though, her hyperactive nature is second to none…"

Ace deadpanned as he thought about all the times he and Tai had to physically block Ruby from getting to the cookies in the house, which might as well be one of Heracles Twelve Labors.

Pyrrha tried to look for any sort of interest Ace might have had in the sisters, but he seemed to be hiding it very well, if there was any at all.

"They sound like quite the bunch," Leda smiled at Ace, making the boy light up.

"To say the least," Ace looked up at Leda, "What about the two of you? What do you two do for a living?"

The conversation progressed nicely, as did dinner. Ace found out the family moved up to Mistral so Pyrrha could attend Sanctum. They used to live on the southern edge of the Kingdom, explaining their names and attire. The four sat at that table for well over three hours before Ace finally noticed the time.

"I'm sorry, but I have to be going," Ace said apologetically as he looked down at his watch. It was already 10:30 p.m. and he wanted to be back by ten, "Thank you for the meal and taking time out of your day to sit down with me."

Ace bowed his head slightly as he rose from the table. Pyrrha and her parents rose as well.

"No need to apologize," Davos said with a smile. In the last few hours, he had come to respect Ace. The boy was very intelligent. He was able to have advanced economic conversations with Leda as well as talk about the history of Remnant with the part-time professor. It was obvious by the end of the dinner that Ace was much more than a handsome face and strong fighter, "You have a big day tomorrow. We should do this again some time."

Ace nodded as he extended a hand to Davos, who took it immediately. Leda then hugged Ace, much to his surprise. He returned the embrace before Davos spoke up.

"Pyrrha, will you please walk Ace out?" Pyrrha nodded at her father's request and linked her arm in Ace's and led him to the door.

Leda and Davos watched the two walk down the hallway, having a conversation about a show a Pyrrha watches.

"Well, he was even better than I expected," Leda whispered to her husband. Davos just grinned and shook his head as he let out a sigh.

"I'm supposed to hate the boys my daughter brings home," Davos started to cry comically, getting a sweat drop from his wife, who then giggled at her husband's antics.

Once the pair was certain the two kids were out of earshot, Leda looked over at Davos with a serious expression.

"Were you able to figure out what that initial feeling was?" Leda asked. Davos stopped his waterworks and was completely serious within a few seconds.

"No," Davos mumbled, "He seems like a nice boy, but there is something more to him."

Leda nodded.

"I have some friends in Vale," Leda muttered, "I'll see if they know anything about him…"

Ace and Pyrrha stood on the manor's front porch for a few seconds in silence, neither wanting the night to be over just yet. It was the perfect escape Ace needed. His head had been feeling better since his fight with Missy, but it also helped that he hadn't really had a chance to slow down and relax.

Ace sighed as he looked up at the clear sky. The shattered moon was on full display, illuminating the area beautifully, and giving Pyrrha a mystical aura as her hair dazzled in the pale moonlight.

"So," Ace muttered softly as he offered Pyrrha a small smile, "We're back to being enemies when I leave, huh?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"No. You are the first real friend I've ever had," Pyrrha countered, "Even if we do face each other tomorrow, let it be a friendly bout between rivals, not a clash between enemies."

Ace smiled at Pyrrha before he bent over and kissed the side of her head. The girl blushed slightly but was able to keep her emotions in check, at least for the moment.

"Thank you for having me over," Ace unlinked his arm from Pyrrha's and took a few steps away, "Get a good night's sleep, and good luck tomorrow."

Ace turned towards Pyrrha, his burning gold eyes were seemed to glow in the low visibility.

"I won't go easy on you," Ace smiled as he winked at Pyrrha and departed, quietly hopping over the gate and walking down the street.

Pyrrha smiled to herself as she replayed the night in her head. She had gotten to know Ace and couldn't be happier with the way things went. She was able to confirm the feelings she might've had for Ace, though she knew her mother was going to enjoy teasing her when she got back inside.

 _"Baby steps…"_ Pyrrha thought with a content smile as she made her way back inside.

By 11 p.m., Ace was back at his and Qrow's hotel room. He could smell the alcohol from the hallway and sighed.

Ace opened the door and saw empty liquor bottles littering the room, and an unconscious Qrow in the bathtub, holding his stomach.

 _"Damnit Qrow,"_ Ace thought as he started to pick up the empty minibar contents and half-spilt liquor containers. He put them all in a bag from under the bathroom sink and put the bag outside the door.

Ace sprayed some air freshener in the room, which did little to mask the smell, but made enough of a difference for him.

Ace grabbed a blanket from the bed Qrow had claimed upon their arrival and draped it over the unconscious man. He set aside a bucket he grabbed preemptively from downstairs and set it next to the tub, along with two bottles of water and half a loaf of bread.

Ace smiled sadly at the unconscious Huntsman before closing the door. He laid down in bed, thinking about how the night played out. He calmed down and felt the second presence in his mind return to prominence, but rather than the pain he felt the night before, it almost felt welcoming. Like he was being reunited with a long-lost friend, but he knew better than that. He made a mental note to bring up the feeling to Qrow in the morning, then tried to get some rest.

No matter how much Ace tried to focus on the night he had with Pyrrha and her parents, his most basic instincts were telling him that something bad was going to happen.


	5. Chapter 5: Shackles of the Past

**A/N: Hey guys. It's been a few days, but here is the next chapter in Consequences. I hope you enjoy. I'm glad to be getting some feed back from you guys, but there are a few things I need to point out. First, if you have with the fights being a little more gruesome than canon, I am sorry to say that isn't going anywhere. I made this fic M for a reason. I don't plan to overdo it, but I feel like if someone is slashed with a sword or shot, their bodies should show it. Second, I'm still looking for pairing suggestions. I have a few ideas and have gotten a few suggestions, but I am still open to suggestion. I want to have the romance aspect set in stone before I get too deep in the story so I doesn't feel rushed or unnatural. Third, there were a few errors in last chapter. I'm really sorry about that. If something didn't make sense, just let me know, I will be more than happy to clear things up. Lastly, some people don't like the way I use Aura in this story. While I know it differs from canon, I personally think it would be better if it were sort of like chakra, allowing it to be molded to an extent and used both offensive and defensively. I think the way the energy is used is pretty simple, but if there are any questions, I am more than happy to explain.**

 **Anyways. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I will see you all again soon.**

 **Chapter 5: The Shackles of the Past**

Tyrion and Hazel made their way through the tournament grounds, keeping themselves hidden under thick black cloaks. Preparations needed to be made before they could complete their mission, though the pair was dealing with the stresses of their current task in their own ways.

"Oh! I can't wait to see little Acey again!" Tyrion cheered manically as he and Hazel turned into a back alley, "It's going to be such a touching reunion!"

Hazel just grunted, before opening the door to the small hideout they were meeting their associate in.

"He's even stronger than, Lady Salem expected," Hazel murmured, "We would be foolish to think he will come peacefully. We have a hard fight ahead of us."

"But that is why you asked us for help…" A silky voice called out from the opposite corner of the room as Hazel and Tyrion entered.

Sienna Khan, Leader of the White Fang walked out of the shadowy corner, dressed in her usual black and red battle attire. Her dark skin and black stripes contrasted her red clothing and jewel on her forehead. Her tiger ears rested on top of her head and she wore an arrogant grin as she approached Tyrian and Hazel.

"I must say," Sienna started, her smirk growing, "I never expected Salem to reach out to us so soon."

Hazel wasn't bothered by the Faunus, or her two guards, but was ready for anything. He knew that the woman in front of him was dangerous, even without her legion of followers. They could be useful, if they could come to an agreement.

"Is the mighty Salem really scared of a boy?" Sienna mocked as she took a seat at the sole wood table in the room. Hazel took the seat opposite from her, not taking the bait.

"That _boy_ has a Semblance that can destroy both of our factions, if it wasn't for Ozpin holding him back," The named tasted like ash to Hazel, but if what Salem said was true, the only reason Ace hasn't taken any more Semblances is because Opzin is keeping his more…violent tendencies in check.

"Yes, yes," Sienna said dismissively, obviously having heard the story before, "Salem's little toy was taken from her and now she wants it back. You know our price."

Hazel nodded and pulled up the briefcase he had been carrying. He set it on the table and turned it towards Sienna. Inside the briefcase, Sienna found ten stacks of 100 Gold Lien Cards (valued at 10,000 Lien each) and two Gems that resembled Dust but felt…off.

Sienna picked up one of the gems. It was cut like a normal dust crystal, but this one was black with a faint orange tint. It seemed to absorb all the light around it and Sienna smirked.

"So," Sienna marveled at the crystal, "The crazy witch finally managed to figure it out, huh?"

Tyrion prickled at Sienna's comment, but Hazel shot him a look over his shoulder, keeping the Scorpion in check. Hazel then nodded, keeping a calm visage.

"Yes," Hazel answered, "That Dust Crystal contains a human soul. She could only make five of them, but if she gets him back, we can make hundreds of these."

Sienna set the crystal back in its place, letting her gaze linger on it for a few seconds. She could sense the soul within the crystal and felt an eerie chill run down her spine. Her instincts warned her of the danger in front of her, but she didn't rise to the top of the White Fang by being a coward.

"What kind of power do they offer?" Sienna asked, "Can they be used as an alternative to regular Dust Crystals?"

"Since it contains a human soul," Hazel started, "The user's Aura and Semblance can be increased exponentially. They can't to be used with weapons yet, but we are making progress on that front."

Sienna nodded and looked back down at the pitch-black crystal.

"How did you capture the soul?" One of the guards asked, showing his discomfort at the idea of trapping a soul and using it as a weapon.

"Just stab it into any dying person," Hazel informed, getting a nod from the guard, "Upon death, the souls will be captured within the crystal. It will have a glow the same color as the soul's Aura. In this case, the Aura was orange."

Sienna looked down at the open briefcase for a few seconds, knowing that this choice could be the thing she and her people needed, or her inevitable downfall. She was deep in thought for a few seconds, before she looked back up at Hazel.

"You've got yourself a deal," Sienna said as she closed the briefcase and handed it to one of the guards, "The White Fang of Mistral are already assembled. Follow me."

Sienna, Hazel, Tyrian, and the guards left through a back exit and disappeared into the shadows, making the final preparations for their mission tonight.

A few hours later, the Mistral Region Tournament was coming to an end.

After dominant performances from the Untouchable Girl and The Lone Contender in the quarter and semifinals, the entire arena waited with baited breath for Pyrrha and Ace to square off.

Both seemed stronger than ever. While Ace had taken damage from Missy, none of the competitors that faced Pyrrha landed a blow on her. She truly deserved her moniker.

Pyrrha did exactly what was expected of her. She dominated every single one of her matches and returned to the finals to defend her title.

Pyrrha sat in the dressing room she met Ace in a few nights ago, thinking about everything that happened over the last few days. Her nerves were completely under control, but she couldn't help but think that Ace still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

All-in-all, Pyrrha was excited for this fight. It had been a long time since a fight got her this riled up, but it was a welcome change. Missy proved that Ace was not perfect. She struck him, many times, reminding everyone that Ace was human, just like everyone else.

Pyrrha knew that Ace was powerful, but she was confident in her abilities. She would go out a defend her title, but more importantly, have her first friendly battle between rivals. She wondered what Ace might be doing in the room across the stadium.

In the opposite dressing room, Ace sat in silence, focusing on the four different Auras that melded together to form the mass of energy that raged inside of him. He felt the burning compassion Ember held for him, the spontaneity Spark was known for, and the reliability Jade embodied. He wondered what the three of them would think if they were to see him now.

Ace was almost completely reunited with the side of him Summer sealed away six years ago. Memories started to come back to him, none of which were pleasant, but necessary. His head still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday. He said a silent prayer for his fallen friends and Summer, then took a deep breath and walked down the hallway, towards the stage.

 **Signal**

Yang, Tai, Ruby, and the six thousand students, teachers, and parents that had gathered in and around Signal's arena sat in anticipation as they listened to the commentators make their predictions for the final match. There were four projected screens in the center of the arena, one facing each cardinal direction, then two above the north and south entrances to the arena, for the crowds gathered outside.

Yang, Ruby, and Tai sat in the center of the crowd, surrounded by students. A few students sat with their younger siblings, who watched the replays of Ace and Pyrrha's fights in awe.

"Mommy! Mommy!" A little girl called out as she sat on her mother's lap, "Is he really gonna win? The red lady seems strong!"

Tai grinned as the little girl reminded him of Ruby.

"It will definitely be a hard fight, but your brother seems confident in him. So, we should be too," The mother replied with a smile, getting a huge grin from the girl.

The girl smiled and giggled as Ace and Pyrrha walked out onto the stage, getting a roar of applause from both the crowd in Mistral and the one gathered in Signal.

"Oh! I can't wait!" Ruby bounced with excitement, making Yang grin, "Do you think we will get to see his Semblance? Or how he uses his swords? Oh! Or what about mom's fighting style again?"

Yang just giggled at her sister before she looked back up at the screen, just in time to see Pyrrha walk out and get bombarded with a deafening cheer from her home crowd. She waved politely to the crowd before she stopped, 50 feet from Ace.

Yang noticed the smile Pyrrha wore, and how Ace mirrored it.

 **Mistral**

"Good luck," Pyrrha offered as she smiled at Ace. She eyed her frenemy for a few seconds before he responded.

"You too," Ace grinned as the referee began to recite the rules for the last time.

In the Schnee Private Box, Winter, Weiss, and Jacques watched the fighters in silence.

Winter had waited patiently for this fight. Since the first round, she could immediately tell that these two were in a league of their own. The real fight between the two of them had been going on since the first round, with neither side wanting to reveal too much to the other. The mind games had continued since, as the two made their way through the tournament. Missy forced Ace to reveal a variation of his weapons, even though the last two rounds didn't expose any more of Ace's abilities.

Winter knew that Ironwood was watching the fight back in Atlas. He told Winter to be on standby and to follow Ace after the fight. He said the boy had a nose for trouble, which coming from Ironwood, was saying something. He had heard that the White Fang were particularly quiet the past few days. He didn't know what was going on, but they were obviously up to something.

Weiss had grown to begrudgingly respect Ace, though she still was against him competing in the tournament. He was by far the most talented boy in the tournament, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, it was clear that she would barely be a match for him. Something about Ace just made Weiss uneasy. It was her last chance to figure out what it was, because after this fight, he would head back to Vale, and her to Atlas. She kept her concerns from Winter, but it was clear that her sister had noticed the same thing she did.

Davos and Leda watched from the stands, analyzing their daughter and her first real friend. Pyrrha had been fighting with a newfound passion since yesterday's dinner, like she wanted to get to this match as quickly as possible. They could tell that their daughter wanted to face, and defeat Ace. The Nikos sat next to two odd individuals. The first was a rather large, burly man with a very gruff voice and a calm persona. He had short brown hair, and dozens of scars on his arms.

The other man was much skinnier but had a long scorpion tail poking out of his cloak. It unnerved Davos and Leda, but thankfully, the burly man was separating them from his lanky companion.

"He's strong," Hazel muttered subconsciously, sensing the maelstrom of Aura within their target. He felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that Ace was suppressing most of his Aura.

Tyrion chuckled to himself in a rather disturbing manner before licking his lips.

"Very," Tyrion agreed and licked his lips subconsciously. He wanted nothing more than to fight Ace now, but Hazel insisted that they stick to the plan.

Davos and Leda gave the pair an odd look but tried to ignore them. The fight was about to begin.

Back in Vale, Ozpin and Glynda sat behind Ozpin's desk waiting for the fight to start. Ace was forced to tip his hand a bit during his match with Missy. He never expected to see Summer's style again, or for Ace to be so advanced in it. He figured that the Untouchable Girl would be able to force more out of Ace, but just like his representative, he too had a bad feeling.

Salem had yet to make her move, which made sense. They would try and make their move when Ace was at his weakest or most vulnerable. He expected a quick, in-and-out extraction to take place sometime after the fight, but he hadn't heard out of the ordinary.

Ozpin had instructed Qrow to be on alert and reached out to Leonardo as well. His fellow Headmaster reassured him that there was nothing to be worry about, but still, the unease nagged at Ozpin.

Ozpin was pulled from his thoughts as the referee began the countdown.

Ace took a deep breath as the countdown entered the final ten seconds, then exhaled. Pyrrha swore she saw a bit of steam come out, as she fell into a defensive stance.

"3…2…1…BEGIN!" The referee yelled as the horn sounded. The crowd erupted into cheers shaking the very foundation of the arena.

A few seconds went by, with neither fighter moving, confusing almost everyone watching.

"What are they doing?" Weiss asked Winter, giving the pair an odd look. She expected the fight to start immediately, with both fighters trying to get the upper hand.

Ace and Pyrrha hadn't moved an inch. Pyrrha remained in her defensive stance, while Ace stood with his arms crossed over his chest his eyes looking for holes in Pyrrha's defense.

"Their waiting to see what the other does," Winter muttered, barely loud enough for Weiss to here, "They are both defensive fighters, so they want to bait out an attack from the other and focus on counter attacking."

Green met gold as the two finalists stared each other down a small grin settling on Pyrrha's face.

 **(OST- Raising Hope- LiSA)**

A finger twitch from Ace was all Pyrrha needed, shifting her spear _Milo_ into a rifle and firing five rounds at Ace. She aimed at different parts of his body, then shifted _Milo_ back to a sword.

In a blur, Ace drew a bowie knife in his right hand and blocked the shots aimed at him, then dashed forward towards Pyrrha, keeping the knife in his right hand as the ground cracked below him.

Pyrrha covered her face with her shield, _Akuno,_ leaving only her eyes peeking over the bronze colored alloy. She saw Ace blur towards her and her instincts screamed for her to jump.

Pyrrha complied, and Ace slid on his knees along the clean stone floor, looking to cut Pyrrha's legs where neither her armor, nor shield covered.

The Untouchable Girl saw the massive knife go underneath her and heard Ace's foot plant into the ground to stop his progress.

Ace spun around, holding his knife in a reverse grip, and brought it back to where Pyrrha was landing, but the Spartan expected this.

Pyrrha landed, then turned to face Ace with a raised shield. Black met bronze and a cloud of sparks showered the floor as Pyrrha felt just how strong Ace was. A shockwave shot out from the collision, blowing away some of the rocks Ace made during his charge.

Pyrrha skidded back nearly five feet before coming to a stop.

 _"Holy shit…"_ Pyrrha thought as she saw the dent in _Akuno, "He dented Akuno?!"_

Ace grinned and drew his other knife in his left hand and spun them for a second before catching them each in a reverse grip.

Pyrrha began to channel Aura into her muscles to match Ace's raw speed and formidable strength. Her body began to glow a faint red as she rested her spear on the top grove of her shield, waiting for Ace to make another move.

"Come now," Ace grinned as he slipped into a stance of his own. He looked like he was ready to box, but each of the blades in his hands embodied danger, "It's your turn."

Pyrrha grinned and shot forward, blurring like Ace did. She was noticeably slower than Ace, but she shot her spear forward, keeping her body covered with her shield.

Ace side-stepped the blow, then met Pyrrha's shield bash with a right cross. He didn't expect her to stand her ground, so the spear aimed at his throat caught him off guard.

Ace swiped his left knife to the right, parrying the blow and forcing Pyrrha to the side. He then spun around the Spartan, keen on stabbing Pyrrha in back with his right knife, but the Spartan was too nimble.

Pyrrha countered by bringing _Akuno_ around and smashing it into Ace's hand, making his grip falter and the knife to go flying out of his reach.

Ace immediately recovered, planting his right foot on _Akuno_ and flipping back to put space between him and Pyrrha.

The Spartan stumbled back from the force of the kick and awkward angle he caught her at. She immediately rose a defense, then saw Ace's fingers were broken from her shield bash.

Ace looked down at his right hand and saw his golden aura was already piecing his bones back together. After five seconds, Ace opened and closed his fist a few times, his hand mostly back to normal.

Pyrrha was a little unnerved to see such rapid healing, but from the look of Ace's Aura Meter on the screen above her, he had barely lost five percent of his energy in the regeneration process.

"That was sloppy," Ace criticized himself before looking up at Pyrrha, "It seems you landed the first blow."

Ace blurred forward again, slamming an Aura enhanced fist into Pyrrha's shield. The Spartan watched the fist indent into her shield, then was sent tumbling as he released all the built-up Aura in a cone-shaped explosion against the shield. Pyrrha was sent tumbling back as the condensed Aura flashed gold, making the crowd cover their eyes.

"That's the move he taught you, Yang!" Ruby yelled as she looked over at her sister.

Yang looked a little freaked out.

"That's true," Yang muttered, "But I can only use half the Aura he just did. She has some guts to take that attack head on."

Tai nodded in awe of Pyrrha as he watched her get back to her feet with a quick backwards roll.

Pyrrha tumbled 15 feet before she could regain her footing, but Ace didn't give her any time to recover. She looked up to see a black blade about to bury itself between her eyes and instinctively rolled forward.

Pyrrha's sight shifted to Ace, who was descending on her with a cocked Axe Kick, ten feet above her.

Pyrrha eyes widened and she raised her shield and flooded her body with Aura. Ace's foot met the shield and Pyrrha felt her frame buckle. The ground below her shattered, looking like a spiderweb below the Untouchable Girl. His condensed Aura exploded outwards, going around Pyrrha's shield like a river around a rock. The floor around her was blown away, as Ace's eyes widened, seeing Pyrrha standing her ground below him.

The Spartan pushed Ace's leg to the side, watching for a fraction of a second as Ace lost control of his body. She brought her spear forward towards Ace's face. Her opponent barely dodged the blow, getting a slight cut on his right cheek.

Ace spun his body around and got underneath Pyrrha's shield, slamming his shin onto ribs, though he didn't have time to enhance this attack. Pyrrha went tumbling out of the destroyed part of the stage, her side erupting in pain as she somehow managed to land on her feet "gracefully".

Ace landed in an awkward heap on the ground, but quickly kipped to his feet, looking over at Pyrrha. She was about ten feet from the shattered ground, but Ace was masked in a cloud of dust lingering in the air from his kick. She scanned the cloud, looking for any hint of Ace's next attack.

Pyrrha's skin crawled when she saw two burning gold eyes piercing through the dust.

With his sights set, Ace shot forward, too fast for Pyrrha to react. He landed an uppercut to Pyrrha's stomach, though this one was not Aura enhanced. Pyrrha then brought her sword up instinctually, cutting Ace's left arm, but not deterring the attack.

Ace then grabbed the gasping Spartan around the ankle and threw her to the side much harder than he did to Kris in the second round.

Before Pyrrha could leave the ring, she slammed her spear into the ground, digging a trench in the stone and coming to a stop just a few inches before the out of bounds line.

The crowd cheered wildly as Pyrrha stood back up and caught her breath, wiping her face. She shifted _Milo_ into its Xipohos form and stared Ace down.

Pyrrha noticed that each of her attacks had drawn blood.

 _"His Aura isn't protecting him?"_ Pyrrha thought in confusion. She shook her head, and decided to not worry about that right now.

"Is that the best you can do?" Pyrrha taunted as she felt her Aura gather in her body. She was focusing on defense during Ace's last assault. Because of that, she was able to recover from the uppercut quickly. If she hadn't enhanced her body, the fight would have ended.

 _"This…"_ Pyrrha and Ace though in unison, _"This is what it's like to enjoy a fight!"_

Ace grinned at Pyrrha as he walked over to his knives. He picked them up and sheathed them behind his back with a satisfying **CLINK**.

"So," Ace grinned, "You want a sword fight?"

Ace reached behind his back and drew his swords slowly. The blades were pitch-black and skinny like a katana but had no curve in the blade. On the right blade the engraving **CALAMITY** could be seen above the hilt, and on the left **JANE** was engraved in a similar style. The blades were each a meter long, with a quarter-meter handle.

This was the first time Ace had drawn the swords, in their natural form, this tournament, and everyone awed at the craftsmanship.

"They're beautiful," Leda muttered as Davos stared in awe, "I wonder where he got them…"

 _"Salem was right,"_ Hazel thought as he stared down Ace, _"He was the one to take the blades…"_

Ace spun the blades around effortlessly as he grinned at Pyrrha.

"Come on then," Ace taunted. Pyrrha began to advance slowly at first, then sped up as she got closer to Ace. She avoided anything that could trip her up in the crater Ace formed with his kick and eyed her target.

Ace smirked as Pyrrha got close enough to strike. He swung his right sword down, which Pyrrha parried with her shield, then knocked Pyrrha's counter attack up. He kicked Pyrrha in the chest, knocking her back slightly, but the Spartan was flooding her body with Aura, making it immensely tougher than its natural state.

Pyrrha barely took a step back before she attacked again. She performed a horizontal slash, making Ace back up a step, then advanced with her shield to block Ace's slash.

Pyrrha aimed an attack at Ace's leg, but much to everyone's surprise, Ace performed a perfect side-aerial over the sword. Upon landing, he slashed down in a blur.

Pyrrha narrowly avoided the blow, though the edge of her bangs were trimmed by the blade.

Ace pressed the advantage, spinning to Pyrrha right, parrying the stab she threw at him in an attempt to keep him away, then brought his right sword around behind Pyrrha. He slashed at Pyrrha, feeling the blade make contact with her arm, before bringing his left sword across her back.

Pyrrha felt pain rack her right side before she felt her back get cut. The blade cut right through her Aura, shocking most of the audience. She was going to retaliate, but Ace continued his rotation, and landed a spin-kick to Pyrrha's freshly cut back.

The Spartan went tumbling away yet again as her Aura worked on healing her wounds.

Ace turned to face the rising Spartan with a grin, seeing that she was still well over half Aura.

"I never knew Ace was so skilled with those swords," Yang whispered to Tai, "I'm glad he never used them against Rubes and me. He cut through her Aura like it was nothing."

Tai nodded. On more than one occasion, Summer had used that same move on him when they were sparring. He still had a scar on his back as a reminder of Summer's prowess.

"Those were the only things Ace had when Summer found him," Tai added, making Yang turn to her father in disbelief. The more she found out about Ace, the more questions arose, "She taught him how to use them properly."

"AWWWW!" Ruby yelled with stars in her eyes, "Those swords are so cool!"

Tai and Yang deadpanned as they listened to Ruby.

"Is that the best you can do?" Ace called back with a smirk as he watched Pyrrha's wounds close.

Pyrrha lowered her stance and her sword began to glow red.

"Not yet," Pyrrha grinned as she saw Ace's eyes widen.

 _"She can channel Aura into her weapon?"_ Ace thought as he watched the red glow around Pyrrha become much more prominent, _"That sword is platinum-titanium alloy… I won't be able to cut through it."_

Ace spun his swords and grinned at Pyrrha.

"Interesting trick," Ace extended his arms, "Now what are you gonna do with it?"

Pyrrha grinned as she charged Ace, almost matching his speed because of the Aura flooding her system. She brought a slash down that Ace blocked by putting his sword into an 'X' above him.

The ground below Ace shattered, like it did below Pyrrha earlier. Ace felt much more strength than before. The blade then exploded into a flash of red that sent Ace flying backwards.

Ace landed ten feet backwards but was met with two slashes of red Aura coming out of the dust cloud. He jumped into the air to avoid the lower one but was pushed back a little when he blocked the second one. Hs clothes were torn a bit, with a large portion of his cloak charred, and his arms bleeding from the impact.

Pyrrha shot out of the dust and slammed her shield into Ace's stomach. As the boy stumbled backwards, she slashed him across the chest. Her aura augmented the length of her sword and she felt it break through Ace's minor defensive Aura before she spun around and tried to slash Ace at the waist.

It was like the gash on Ace's chest didn't bother him. He immediately brought his sword up and cut Pyrrha on the cheek before she could throw her horizontal slash.

Ace took advantage of the advantage, stepping forward and slamming his swords into _Akeno_. Two trenches were cut in the shield as Pyrrha brought her other hand up to the shield to keep from being overpowered.

Ace grinned as he saw Pyrrha struggle, then brought his right sword back a bit and broke through the Spartan's guard.

The stumbling Pyrrha didn't have a chance to block as Ace stepped forward and slashed both of her shoulders vertically, the flipped his grip and cut two parallel gashes into Pyrrha's stomach. He completed the combo with another front kick that sent Pyrrha tumbling back. The whole combo took less than three seconds, his blades were little more than a blur, reminding Tai and Qrow of their former teammate.

 _"He's still too fast!"_ Pyrrha thought frantically. Ace wasn't augmenting his body at all, yet he was still faster and stronger than her. She looked up and saw that she had around a third of her Aura left, _"I have to use my Semblance."_

Pyrrha rose to her feet as the gashes on her shoulders and stomach closed slowly. Her armor was stained with blood, but she didn't notice. Her full attention was on her opponent, that was charging her once again, seeking to end the match.

Once again, Pyrrha augmented her muscles with Aura before meeting Ace's initial attack with an Aura filled _Milo_ and blocking the second attack with _Akuno._

Ace kept attacking, trying to break through Pyrrha's near-impenetrable defense. Each blow that landed on the shield cut into it, but there were still a few inches before he cut through the entire thing. He needed something unexpected to break her defense.

Ace's eyes narrowed as he found it.

Ace began to focus his attacks on _Akuno_ cutting deep into the metal with each strike. He blocked a few of Pyrrha's batting them away like they were a minor annoyance. He got a few cuts on his face and chest, but they started to steam as they healed.

Ace saw his opportunity and used both _Calamity_ and _Jane_ to knock _Milo_ into the air. As Pyrrha stumbled back, she raised _Akuno_ to cover her, but it didn't matter.

Ace brought _Jane_ forward, stabbing right through the weakest point on Pyrrha's shield, where all of his previous attacks overlapped.

The blade went right through _Akuno_ and buried itself in Pyrrha's left shoulder.

"GAH!" Pyrrha gasped in pain as Ace yanked out his sword and swiped her shield aside.

Pyrrha tried to keep Ace at bay, but he blocked another Aura slash from Pyrrha with more force than necessary, knocking her sword arm back once again.

 _"Checkmate…"_

Just as Ace was going to stab Pyrrha in non-vital areas to end the match, he felt his blades pull back. His eyes widened as the swords seemed to have a mind of their own. His grip was too tight to just let got and his arms were pulled back, revealing his exposed chest to his opponent.

Ace looked down at Pyrrha to see that her left hand was covered in black energy and put it together.

 _"Fuck me!"_ Ace grit his teeth as he finally let go of the swords in his hands, but his arms were already pulled too far back.

 _"I win, Ace,"_ Pyrrha thought as she brought a burning red _Milo_ forward. As the blade tore into Ace's skin, he vanished, making a noise that sounded like he was ripped from one part of reality and forced into another.

Pyrrha looked around frantically and saw Ace at the opposite end of the stage down on a knee, his chest bleeding profusely from her last attack. His swords clattered to the side, ringing out through the silent arena. He rose and turned to Pyrrha with a grin as her eyes widened in shock.

"HE CAN TELEPORT?" Yang yelled in disbelief in the middle of a gob smacked crowd. She looked at her father who was just grinning at his daughters.

Tai nodded and looked at Ruby, whose jaw was on the floor.

"Wh-But… What?" Ruby stuttered, "How can he… What?"

Tai just grinned as he looked back up at Ace.

"He kept it under wraps for a reason," Tai explained, "He forced his opponent to show her hand, and now he knows how to counter her. His Semblance gives him the absolute advantage in maneuverability. He was fast before, but when he Teleports, even your mother would struggle to keep up with him."

Yang stared at the screen in front of her, listening to the commentator stutter in awe of Ace's Semblance.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Ruby yelled as the camera focused on Ace, blood pouring out of his chest. His wound began to steam as it closed. She bounced in her seat like she did when she was younger, amazed by the power her brother possessed.

Ace's chest wound closed, but his shirt was torn and covered in blood from Pyrrha's last attack.

 _"It is teleportation,"_ Winter thought back to the night she confronted Ace, _"If he is as skilled with that as he is in other fields, even I couldn't match him…"_

"It seems like I have to do this the old fashion way," Ace said as he looked at Pyrrha and tossed aside his knives. He slipped into a weird stance, with him as low to the ground as possible.

Ace vanished from sight again. Pyrrha's instincts flared as she heard the same sound from before behind her. She turned to face it, but then it rang out again to he left, then to her right, then behind her again.

The crowd watched in awe as seemingly dozens of Ace's circled Pyrrha in a blur of black and string of teleports.

 _"Oh my…"_ Ozpin thought as he watched Ace's afterimages disorient Pyrrha, _"That is dangerous… He is much more powerful than we were ready for. I wonder how his other Semblances are coming along?"_

Glynda just watched with wide eyes at the display. She was glad that Ace was on their side. She remembered how shocked she was when she sparred with him over three years ago, but he somehow left improved his Teleportation even futher.

Yang and Ruby were staring at the screen in front of them in a perpetual state of shock and joy. The crowd around them was just as stunned as they were.

From the looks of it, Ace had mastered his Semblance. Add that to his other slew of combat skills and he was a terrifying opponent.

"I…" Tai muttered, watching Ace speed up again, drawing his daughters' attention, "I never knew he had come this far…"

The girls stared at the screen. The outcome was inevitable now.

 _"This boy…"_ Winter thought as she watched Pyrrha spin around helplessly, trying to find the real Ace, _"No wonder the General is so afraid of him…"_

Weiss was now standing, completely absorbed in the recent developments of the fight. The last minute was so back-and-forth, she felt like she was having a heart attack. This Semblance was game-changing. She wanted to see as much of it as she could, before he either defeated Pyrrha, or ran out of stamina.

Just when Pyrrha showed her Semblance and was going to defend her title, Ace showed his true potential.

 _"This was never a real fight…"_ Weiss thought in awe as she tried desperately to find the real Ace as well, _"He was just testing her…"_

Davos and Leda were staring at Ace's display with slacked jaws and blank minds. They were so certain that Pyrrha would find a way to win, even if the battle seemed to be in Ace's favor a majority of the time.

The Nikos were too enveloped in the match to notice Hazel muttering to Tyrion.

"It seems he's quite adept with that Semblance," Hazel eyed Ace, having difficulty following the boy's movements, "It looks like he won't need the other two."

Tyrian laughed in his usual demented fashion as he looked like an excited child.

"I can't wait to fight him!" Tyrian said a little too loudly, thankfully everyone was too worried about the display in front of them to listen to him.

Ace grinned as he watched Pyrrha spin around, fear taking hold of her.

"Don't blink!" Ace said from seemingly all around her. In an instant, Ace appeared below Pyrrha and brought his left foot up into her jaw, dropping the rest of his body down to have as much power behind the kick as possible.

Pyrrha shot into the air like a rocket before a fist slammed into her cheek, sending her to the left. Her head was spinning from the punch, and she felt her aura straining. She felt a shin slam into her ribs, completely reversing her path, then a punch to her stomach sent her even further in the air. A heel contacted the top of her head, sending her to the ground, 40 feet below her, but Ace appeared in the middle of a spin and smashed his shin into Pyrrha's stomach.

The Spartan's Aura shattered, and blood flew out of her mouth as her battered body went tumbling out of the ring. Pain and fatigue were the only things Pyrrha could feel as she rolled over and had a coughing fit.

The referee was too stunned to call the match, but the horn blared signifying the end of the Finals.

Pyrrha's vision blurred as she heard the same noise as before, and a familiar boot come into her eyesight.

 **(OST: END)**

"Good fight, Pyrrha," Ace said softly as he lowered himself to a knee next to Pyrrha. She looked up at him, her face covered in blood and bruises. She was angry. Not at Ace, but at herself. She lost the match, and the final Aura Meters made the match look much closer than it actually was. If Ace used his Semblance, the fight would've ended in a matter of seconds.

"It wasn't," Pyrrha said dejectedly, "I… I was never even a match for you…"

Pyrrha's eyes teared up in frustration and pain. After last night, her fighting spirit was born anew. She wanted to beat Ace and prove to both him and herself that she was capable of being more than just the idol all of Mistral praised. She sat at the top for three years and didn't push herself as hard as she should have. The other contestants never even made her reveal her Semblance, let alone defeat her.

Pyrrha looked away from Ace but felt a warm hand on her head. The pain immediately took a backseat to the feeling of warmth that was enveloping her. She looked up and saw Ace smiling down at her.

"Don't say that," Ace insisted, "You gave me the hardest fight I've ever had. There is nothing to be ashamed about. Look at me, Pyrrha."

Ace brushed some of Pyrrha's stray hair behind her ear. Pyrrha looked at Ace, seeing his blood-stained chest, ruined clothes, and numerous bruises covering his arms.

"Besides-" Ace was going to continue, but he heard a few screams in the distance. An explosion shook the stadium, smoke rising from the Southern side of the Massive structure. He turned around and saw two people who were burned into his newly recovered memory.

"H-Hazel… Tyrion…" Ace muttered as he looked at the two men, then heard a series explosion outside the arena. Smoke billowed up and Tyrion let out a cackle, satisfied with the screams that rang out from the crowd as White Fang Members stormed the arena.

"Oh, little Acey!" Tyrion cheered, "It's good to see you again! It's been so long…"

Pyrrha looked up at Ace and noticed that his hand on her cheek was trembling. She saw that his eyes were wide and dull.

"Ace," Hazel said bluntly, "We need you to come with us."

Ace stared at the two men with a shocked expression.

 _"Are they really making a move? Now of all times?"_ Ace noticed that the crowd was in a panic. Some of the Huntsman and Huntresses in the stands began to fight off White Fang Members that were attacking, but they were severely outnumbered, _"Why? She has always worked in the shadows… Why come after me now that I have everyone's attention?"_

Ace's mind raced and Pyrrha could sense his unease. She felt his Aura rage like a hurricane trapped within a single man.

"Come with us and this will all stop," Hazel repeated, "We will call off the White Fang. People don't have to die tonight. You just have to come with us, and this will all be over."

Ace looked around and saw dozens of dead civilians around the arena. He saw Qrow fighting off two White Fang Officers by the entrance tunnel, trying to get to him.

Ace saw Winter defending her family from nearly a dozen White Fang Grunts, all trying to kill Wiess and her father.

Ace looked at Hazel with blank eyes as his heart rate began to rise. He heard it like a drum in his ears, blocking out the screams and explosions that flooded his ears. His headache stopped as a feeling of nostalgia settled in.

"Ace…" Pyrrha said weakly as Ace removed his hand from her cheek. He stood straight up and took a few steps towards Tyrian and Hazel.

"Awwww," Tyrian whined, "It looks like he's too scared to fight. I guess he's not as strong as I thought.

Hazel ignored Tyrian and took a step towards Ace.

"Come on," Hazel instructed, "When we get out of the city, I will call off the attack."

Ace took another few steps towards the pair before he did the unthinkable.

 **(OST: Fairy Tail Hagane Hakunetsu)**

A flash of gold blinded everyone in the arena. They felt the air fill with static and the temperature skyrocketed. A black bolt of lightning stretched into sky, easily visible for miles.

A massive shock wave shook the arena, a few unfortunate civilians getting blown back, while even the veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses were forced to cover their faces.

Pyrrha's face was now healed as her Aura began to slowly heal the rest of her wounds. She looked up to see a terrifying figure standing in a burning gold flame that rose to six inches above his head, with black lightning covering his body and about three inches around him.

Pyrrha's vision cleared and she recognized the figure.

 ** _"Finally,"_** A familiar voice rang out in Ace's head, **_"We are one again…"_**

Ace recognized the voice as his own, for the first time in the year and a half it had been calling out to him. He felt his Aura-density increase exponentially, reconnecting with the part of his soul Summer sealed. His muscles felt supercharged, every part of his body felt better than ever.

Typhoon-like winds ripped through the arena, scorching everyone present. Everything that wasn't being held down was blown away, littering the stands with trash and clothes alike.

Qrow looked past the stunned White Fang Officers and saw Ace standing in the center of the chaos, staring down Hazel and another man he had never seen before. He felt the blood-lust coming from Ace. It was just like the night he found Ace, over seven years ago.

The voice chuckled in Ace's head as he clenched his fists, the lightning and fire intensifying and a grin settling on his face.

 ** _"Tell me,"_** The voice started, obviously happy to be one with its other half again, " ** _How do you feel?"_**

Ace looked up at the grinning Tyrian and wide-eyed Hazel. It was obvious neither of them expected Ace to have this much raw power, but they each dealt with it in their own ways. The remains of Ace's shirt and cloak ripped off in the torrential winds, revealing his scarred torso. His swords teleported into his open palms.

 **"Whole…"** Ace muttered as the whites of his eyes turned black.

 **A/N: Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think in the reviews or PM. I will try to respond to any questions or concerns, so just reach out to me. Until next time.**


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